Mononokehime Continuation
by Mikazuki Yuriko
Summary: The Battle for Iron Town is over. But one victory does not halt the greed of men. Now, without the protection of the Forest Spirit, it is up to humans to keep the balance and peace between Nature and the world of men...
1. Default Chapter

Princess Mononoke Continuation Fic By Danny N.  
  
Chapter One  
  
The bright, humid, midmorning air was ringing with the sounds of hammers pounding iron spikes into wooden boards, saws slicing through lumber like razor-sharp teeth, and lively voices of men and women sharing in the labor. The people of Tatara's Iron Town were united in their industrious goal of rebuilding their beloved village. Everywhere people could be seen carrying planks for building houses and stables, women making meals for their hungry husbands, and children playing in the streets under their mothers' watchful gazes. Tatarans led pack animals burdened with nails and poles through the streets, mindful not to run over the wild, young urchins.  
The legendary pyramid-like forge of Iron Town had been one of the first things rebuilt. The life-giving iron it produced made nails, hammers, and the other tools necessary to start over. Women worked around- the-clock pumping the massive bellows with their feet, giving breath to the roaring monster of fire. The forge was the center of the Tatara people's lives. The iron they made was envied by even faraway towns and cities, and there was no short supply of it. Iron Town sat on the richest land in all of Japan. But the Tatarans had learned a year ago not to disturb the sacred forest and mountains around Iron Town in their search for the precious ore. Their exploitation of the woods and mountains around them had kindled the wrath of the ancient forest gods and their leader, Princess Mononoke, princess of the sprits of ghouls, beasts, and ancient gods. When the their leader, Lady Eboshi, killed the forests' great god, the Forest Spirit, the town was completely decimated and the people left to salvage what they could and begin again.  
The thoughts of those days were heavy on Ashitaka's mind as he drove a stout iron nail into the wooden roof he was perched on. The hot midmorning sun was beating down on him, and he absentmindedly wiped the thin layer of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. The shingles beneath him were clean, fragrant cedar, and he breathed in the scent of them, enjoying his simple work and the rhythm of the swinging hammer. He was helping one of the Tatara families build a house, like many others of the townspeople were doing that day.  
A young woman who stood in the shade behind an unfinished wall was watching him. She was dressed in a light pink yukata with a red obi. Small wooden geta were on her little feet. Her long raven hair flowed like a cascade straight down her back, and her dark obsidian eyes watched Ashitaka's every move, admiring him from a distance. The rise and fall of his well-muscled arm as he swung the hammer, his bare, lean torso that stretched and contracted with each motion, his focused, handsome face concentrating on the task at hand. Takiko gave a light sigh. She was hopelessly in love with him.  
She wasn't well acquainted with the foreigner from the east. The number of times she'd had a conversation with him could be counted on one hand. But she had completely lost her heart to him. She was well aware that she wasn't the only girl in town who was infatuated with the handsome youth, but she too harbored a secret desire that someday he might pick her as a bride out of all the other maidens in town. That was her fond wish, as well as the wish of her parents, who knew that marriage to someone as high in social standing as Ashitaka would bring great honor to the family. Takiko had even heard that Ashitaka had been a prince in some far, distant homeland. That added greatly to his appeal.  
She'd prepared a tray of rice, bread, and some raw tuna, as well as a beaker of cool water to drink, for him. She nervously stepped out of the shadows and stood below the overhang of the roof.  
"Ashitaka," she called nervously up to him. The boy halted his work and a moment later, his brown-haired head came into view, peering down at her. "I've brought you some refreshments, in case you are hungry," she said. He grinned broadly at her, making her stomach feel like there were butterflies loose in it.  
"Alright, I'll be right down." He set down his hammer and the pouch of nails and nimbly leapt down from the roof as gracefully as a cat. He was bare from the waist up, wearing only light-colored pants and soft deerskin shoes. The mere sight of him nearly drove Takiko to euphoria. He sat down on a pile of cedar planks as she brought the tray over to him.  
"Thank you," he said, taking it from her. He picked up the two plain chopsticks in his hand and dug into the rice bowl, eating like a famished wolf.  
"It isn't much," said Takiko humbly.  
"On the contrary," replied Ashitaka after swallowing, "it's quite delicious."  
Takiko smiled demurely, a pleased blush creeping on her cheeks. Ashitaka didn't notice it, thankfully. "Well, enjoy your meal," Takiko said. She quickly turned and walked away as quickly as possible without looking too odd. Just being around him was overwhelming. She decided to take a walk around the nearly-completed town to shake off those butterflies. On her way she passed many other rudimentary shelters like hers. People whose houses hadn't yet been finished lived out of modest tents. A few women squatted outside, tending their campfires monotonously. Others had a great yokes on their shoulders, with a bucket on each end, carrying water back from the well. She went by the market where the crops harvested from the fields outside Iron Town were being displayed. There was also a fish market boasting the day's catch. Huge, silvery trout with gaping mouths and wide, unblinking eyes stared at her. Takiko felt a little bit of pity for them. They were the unlucky ones, snared from the water by probing fishnets.  
Presently she returned to her home, which appeared to be nearly complete. Ashitaka was again at work, finishing up the roof. Takiko spotted the empty tray on the stack of cedar boards. On it was a little red flower, a thank-you gift from Ashitaka. Takiko felt the butterflies again and gleefully gathered the tray and dishes together.  
"How are things coming along?" she asked in a voice loud enough for him to hear over the thudding of the hammers.  
"I'm almost finished up here," answered Ashitaka. "And it's a good thing, too. The sun's getting unbearable." He ran a hand through his thick brown hair, sitting down on the cedar shingles. His blue eyes stared off down the streets. "Lady Eboshi is coming," he said. Takiko looked down the street, following the direction of his gaze. Sure enough, the beautiful black-haired woman adorned in a fine kimono, accompanied by her faithful bodyguard, Gonza, was coming towards the house. She nodded her head graciously when she greeted Takiko.  
"Good afternoon, Takiko," she said in a calm voice like a gentle breeze. "And to you, Ashitaka."  
"Good afternoon, my Lady," the two replied in unison. Eboshi approached the house and fingered the woodwork and paneling.  
"This is fine work, Ashitaka," she said. That was high praise, coming from her.  
"Thank you, my Lady."  
"Such skill and workmanship would be of great use down at the main gate. You would be paid well for you assistance."  
"I will look into it," Ashitaka responded politely.  
"Well, good afternoon, then," said Eboshi, taking her leave of them and resuming her journey. Takiko watched her go. Lady Eboshi was so graceful, and very beautiful, even with only one arm. It was difficult to tell she even had a handicap. She always wore long-sleeved clothing to conceal the evidence of her battle with the wolf god Moro. Still, it didn't affect her manner or personality in any way. The strong-willed leader of Iron Town always had a cool, calm disposition. She feared nothing, not even gods, and everyone in town looked up to and respected her. She was kind to everyone but her enemies, and there were a few-- greedy warlords with their eyes on Iron Town and its famous iron--and she dealt with them with ruthless efficiency. She was a formidable woman who once dreamed of world conquest but had devoted herself instead to the rebuilding of Iron Town.  
By around mid-afternoon, the men working on Takiko's house declared it finished, and everyone, including Ashitaka, gave a loud, hearty cheer. As tools were collected and friends thanked, Takiko approached Ashitaka as he was donning his light blue shirt.  
"Ashitaka," she said shyly, "would you please join my family and me for dinner? We are grateful for the assistance you've given us and would like to thank you personally for your help." The blue-eyed youth smiled but shook his head.  
"I'm sorry," he said, "but I promised to meet someone today, and I have to keep that appointment."  
"Oh," said Takiko, masking her disappointment. "I'll tell my parents you have other plans, then." Ashitaka nodded appreciatively and without saying anything else, gathered his tools and headed down the street. He didn't look back and disappeared around the corner of an inn. Takiko watched him go sorrowfully.  
  
Ashitaka walked through Iron Town's winding roads, greeting several friends, including Toki and Koroku, along the way. He returned the hammer and remaining nails to the blacksmith he'd borrowed them from. Then he proceeded over to the edge of town. His simple hut was far away from the noise and bustle of the townspeople, as close as he could get to the forest. A towering wall made of thick, sturdy logs with pointed, impaling ends ringed around Iron Town as a protective barrier. Even though the Tatara people were living in a time of peace, the wall was a good safeguard against attack.  
Ashitaka entered his house. It was dark and quiet inside. He lived alone and had no family to share a home with. Yet. He began the familiar routine of packing saddlebags with dried meat and fruit, took some warm fur blankets for sleeping in, and lifted his long hunting knife off its pegs above the door. He carried these items outside to a large paddock beside his humble dwelling. Yakkuru, his loyal red elk, came trotting up to the fence when he spotted his master and nuzzled at Ashitaka's extended hand.  
"Hello, old friend," Ashitaka said to him, petting the cream-colored patch on the animal's forehead. Yakkuru waited impatiently for him to open the gate and then bounded out of his pen, full of energy. "Whoa, easy," said Ashitaka soothingly. "Hold still." He put the bridle and saddle on him and loaded on his other satchels as well. Yakkuru lowered his head and lifted Ashitaka up onto his back by one of his two massive horns. Ashitaka took the animal's reins in his hand and said, "You know the way, don't you, Yakkuru? Let's go, then!" He nudged the elk into a quick trot, and the two rode off to the town gate, out of Iron Town, and over the lake bridge that led into the wide expanse of meadows on the other side of the water, heading for the forest. 


	2. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 2

Princess Mononoke Continuation Fic By Danny N.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The maiden girl San, known as Princess Mononoke, rode on the back of a giant white wolf, one of her brothers, through the depths of the lush green forest that surrounded Iron Town and the mountains around it. Her long spear shaft rested across the wolf's shaggy back. She wore a simple cloth dress with ragged edges and a white wolf pelt on her back, with soft leather shoes on her small feet. Her short brown hair was crudely cut, as though by a knife, and her hard, piercing blue eyes surveyed the glades and tree canopy like a vigilant eagle. Her silver, disc-shaped earrings and wolf fang necklace clinked and tinkled in rhythm to the wolf's rambling gait. Also around her neck was a purplish-blue shard of crystal in the shape of a dagger. Its many facets caught and reflected the sunlight that filtered down through the leaves of the trees, sparkling beautifully.  
A cool breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves and making them whisper with raspy voices. A chattering bird somewhere in the treetops sang its repetitive song, combining in harmony to the sounds of running water in the brook. A red squirrel, clinging upside down to the rough bark of a pine tree, looked at her and screeched shrilly. San smiled at it and watched as it scurried back up into the safe branches of the tree. This was her forest. It knew her, and she loved it. She was its ruler and guardian, the princess of the spirits of beasts, ghouls, and ancient gods.  
The forest melted and ran by in a haze of greens, browns, and grays of all shades. As her wolf brother loped down the familiar deer trails, San relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. The forest was green and healthy again. A year ago, when the humans invaded and killed the animal gods, including the Forest Spirit, the land had become desolate and lifeless. For that Princess Mononoke would never forgive them. But a miracle had saved the forest. The life energy of the Forest Spirit spread out and returned to the land, giving hope back to the mountains and woods. But now that the Forest Spirit was gone, there was no one to protect it from invaders except her and her two wolf brothers--the last of their tribe.  
Every now and then, San thought she could feel the presence of the old gods, like forgotten tales that are told and remembered. Sometimes she could almost see the spirit of her adopted mother, Moro, running in the wind and weaving through the trees, magnificent and graceful.  
Her wolf brother slowed to a walk and stopped to rest in a small glade surrounded by pale, slim aspens. San dismounted, taking her spear with her and knelt beside a clean, shimmering pool in the center of it. She buried the tip of her weapon in the loam by the base of the trees and knelt down before the pool, sticking a hand into the clear water. It felt cold and refreshing against her skin. She scooped up a few handfuls and drank the sweet water. The huge wolf trotted over to the other side and lapped it up with his huge pink tongue. San gazed at the image of herself in the water. It was distorted and wavering, but when the ripples smoothed themselves out, she could see her reflection clearly. She didn't see herself often, and she didn't like what she saw. Standing in sharp contrast to her light pink skin were three blade-shaped red marks-- one on each cheek and one down the center of her forehead. The tattoos had been on her face for as long as San could remember. It was one of the few ties that linked her to the human race. A mark of the forgotten tribe from whence she came. She loathed those blood red marks. It was a cruel reminder that she was not a wolf like her brothers and mother, but human. The same as those creatures she had grown up despising. When Moro had first told her about them and her human parents who had abandoned their child to the wilderness, San had fled from their home cave into the night, running towards the river by their home as fast as her infant feet could carry her. She had tried vigorously for an hour to scrub off the hated red marks, but without success. When Moro came for her, she found the little girl crying, completely soaked, and shivering in the chilly night air.  
"San," came the deep, gruff voice of her brother. San looked up, distracted.  
"What is it?" she asked curiously.  
"There is the scent of a human in the air. Not far from here, but heading deeper into the woods."  
"A human?" San mused thoughtfully, automatically reaching for her spear.  
"Yes," answered the wolf. "And an elk."  
San's stern expression melted into a smile. "Let's go meet him, then," she said gladly, hopping onto his back. Together she and the wolf set out at an easy, loping run, back down the deer trails, into the never- ending trees. 


	3. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 3

Princess Mononoke Continuation Fic By Danny N.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Ashitaka pulled gently on Yakkuru's reins, bringing the animal to a halt. He glimpsed back in the direction they had come, towards the lake. They'd lost sight of Iron Town some time ago. It was concealed behind the steep slopes of the hills behind them. They were halfway across the immense grassy field that separated the forest from the lake. The brilliant azure sky overhead contained only a handful of billowy, white clouds, and warm sunlight shone down on them. The red elk stood motionless, ankle deep in silvery-green tufts of grass, waiting for further instructions from its master.  
Ashitaka sat up straight in the narrow saddle. A cool, steady breeze was coming down from the north, making the sea of grass shimmer in gentle currents and tossing his hair about. Ashitaka remained silent, listening to the breeze as it washed over him. He cleared his mind, allowing his thoughts and wonderings to evaporate until he was completely calm and at peace. For a moment he waited, patient, and was rewarded with a tingling sensation in his chest after several moments. It spread throughout his arms and legs, followed by a slight tugging feeling. It was telling him to go northeast. He'd find her there. Princess Mononoke. A year ago, when Ashitaka had been struck with a curse during his battle with a demon monster, he gained the peculiar ability to sense her presence whenever she was nearby, like a compass in his mind, always pointing directly to her. Ever since that moment by the swollen, rain-gorged river when he first saw her, he could feel her when she was nearby, like a beacon in his mind. That and his incredible strength were left over, even after the curse was finally lifted. Ashitaka had no explanation for it, just unquestioning acceptance.  
"This way, Yakkuru," he said to the elk, pulling on the right rein and steering the animal on a more easterly course. Yakkuru plodded tirelessly on, tossing his head and enormous horns every now and then. A few yellow butterflies cavorted in the meadow around them, and a black hawk made a dark, striking silhouette against the blue sky, giving its high- pitched cry as it passed overhead. Other than that, the trip was uneventful. Ashitaka could still feel the light tug drawing him closer to the border of the forest. 'We're getting closer,' he thought to himself. 'I know it. I wonder if she already knows we're coming?' A few minutes later the traveling companions neared the edge of the woods. Yakkuru's pointed ears pricked up, intrigued. He paused, sniffing the air cautiously with his big red muzzle.  
"What is it, boy?" asked Ashitaka. The elk, of course, didn't answer, but he pawed the weed-covered ground with his hooves in an excited frenzy. Ashitaka grinned. "You are smart, aren't you boy? Well, let's go find her then!" He pressed his heels gently against the red elk's sides, nudging him into a quick trot.  
The terrain grew more uneven as the rolling plains gave way to scattered aspens and pines, which got thicker the further in the elk and human entered. Yakkuru was in his element here, picking his way easily over small, gurgling rivulets and massive fallen logs, never tiring or changing his pace. The elk seemed to know where he was going, even without Ashitaka guiding him, so Ashitaka eased up on the reins and let the elk take over.  
Presently he spotted a streak of white passing in and out of the surging greens and browns of the forest. The streak accompanied him all the way to the glassy pool, the usual meeting place, where the elk stopped. It came out from among the trees and bushes and took the form of one of San's wolf brothers. It came up to them, tongue lolling out of its mouth, panting after a good run. Yakkuru, unafraid, nuzzled its face with his wide, pink nose. Ashitaka dismounted and looked on as wolf and elk greeted each other. Then, the corner of his eye caught a sudden movement to his right. He turned, but not quickly enough, for it was gone. The next thing knew was the point of a sharp blade pressed carefully between his shoulder blades.  
"You let your guard down too easily," said San behind him.  
"That's because I always come up here thinking I can trust you," Ashitaka replied warmly. "I hope I'm not wrong." After a moment, the knifepoint ceased to dig into his back, and Ashitaka heard the slight hissing sound of it sliding back into its sheath. He turned around to face her. San regarded him neutrally.  
"You are lucky today. You should never let your guard down. Not around here. There are more dangerous things than me in this forest," she added with a mischievous smile. Ashitaka grinned back and, sensing that the danger had passed, took San's small, thin frame in his arms and held her close to him. She smelled like the forest--like fresh pine needles and maple leaves, the clean, sweet fragrance that hung heavy in the air. San settled peacefully into his embrace, leaning against his chest, surrounded by his strong, solid arms.  
"I missed you," San said truthfully. Ashitaka was quiet for a minute.  
"You could always come live in Iron Town with me," he replied. Now it was San's turn to be silent. They'd had this discussion many times, but in the end the result was always the same.  
San lifted her head and looked into Ashitaka's eyes. Their gazes met, and San took the initiative, brushing her lips against his. Ashitaka was a bit startled. She was rarely the first one to engage in loving gestures such as this. Briefly he wondered if she was trying to persuade him into seeing things her way. But as her fingers swept over his face, over the scar under his left eye that she'd given him long ago, his pulse quickened, and he kissed her back eagerly. The next few moments passed blissfully by as the two young, separated lovers, warrior and princess, became oblivious to the world around them. A sharp nudge against San's back broke their attention. San turned her head and fired a resentful glance at the offender. The wolf merely stood there, its expression unreadable. Ashitaka laughed quietly.  
"Let's go," he told San. Wordlessly she picked up her spear and fur headdress, but her face was still cross as she leapt lightly onto her wolf brother's white back. Ashitaka mounted Yakkuru, and the group consisting of two humans, two wolves, and an elk, journeyed deeper into the forest-- into its very heart, where very few men had ever walked.  
The home of the Moro tribe was a high mound of rock with a flat ledge on top overlooking the valley that sloped down gently before it. In the top of the little mountain was a shallow cave. It was in this cave that the Princess Mononoke dwelled. At the foot of the rock, Ashitaka unloaded Yakkuru, removing his saddle and bridle too, and with a light slap on the elk's flank, set him loose to run around and enjoy himself. He wasn't worried about the animal. Yakkuru could take care of himself. As the tawny elk disappeared into the foliage, Ashitaka and San ascended the sloping stone hill, up to the cave. Ashitaka set his things inside just as the two great white wolves came bounding in, nearly knocking him over. The massive beasts retreated to the back of the cave and settled down, stretching weary legs, on the bed made up of furs and sprays of pine.  
Ashitaka took a look around. He'd be spending the next few days in the forest with San, his wild princess and true love. Countless times he'd tried to persuade her to come live with him in his house in Iron Town, but time and time again, San stalwartly refused. Her distrust of human civilization was too fresh, too strong. Ashitaka was the only man she allowed into her secret world--the only one she allowed to be close to her. And he was hers alone. So as often as he could, he came out to see her in the forest.  
"Ashitaka," called San from the mouth of the cave, "are you ready?" She had her hunting knife in hand, and his bow.  
"Yes," he answered, shouldering a quiver full of arrows. The two set out, unaccompanied by the wolves, into the depths of the forest.  
Ashitaka spent the next several days almost constantly at San's side. The days were filled with hunting and riding around the sides of the mountains, talking of news and of a number of other things. In the evening they lived together in the cave. San sometimes sewed bits of rabbit skins and deer leather, making winter clothes while he carved little animal figurines and tools from pieces of wood next to a fire. Nights were spent on beds made of sweet-smelling leaves covered with bear pelts, or, if the weather was good, out beneath the thousands of bright, sparkling stars. Ashitaka was never happier. 


	4. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 4

Princess Mononoke Continuation Fic By Danny N.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
On the brink of a dew-spattered morning, when the sun hadn't quite broken the line of the mountain tops, and the sky beyond the mouth of the cave was lightening to a stormy gray, Ashitaka stirred out of his dream- filled slumber. The cool, brisk breeze tickled the bare skin of his arms, and he pulled up the thick, bear fur blanket in protest. Gradually he realized that the space beside him was vacant, and he opened his eyes. San had already gone. He wasn't really surprised. She always left before the sun rose.  
In the chilly pre-dawn air, Ashitaka quickly dressed. He started packing his few meager possessions into his saddlebags as well. He was returning to Iron Town today. There was business he needed to take care of in the human village. For the rest of the time he worked on starting a small fire in the shallow cave to warm up to and cook breakfast on. A little more than an hour later, San appeared in the mouth of the cave, a line of fish strung together in one hand, a satchel of herbs and berries in the other. An almost invisible furrow in her brow wrinkled when she saw Ashitaka's things so neatly assembled. San had known he'd be going back today, but she was reminded now, sharply, of how much she wished he wouldn't. During the first few months, his leaving hadn't bothered her so, but the longer they were together, the more time she spent with him, the harder it was to watch him go. Their cave felt emptier when he was gone. Even with the wolves' companionship, it was like something vital was missing. But she never spoke these feelings aloud.  
"I've brought food," she announced neutrally. Ashitaka was sitting by the crackling flames, keeping the fire alive. Fire was a luxury San had barely gotten used to. She'd never had it when Moro was alive. She ate her meat raw like her brothers, and had long since become accustomed to the seasons and weather of the high mountains. But Ashitaka had insisted on it. So she left the task of creating and tending the burning flames to him. But she had to admit, she liked the taste of cooked food and had asked Ashitaka how to create the magical flames, in spite of the doubts of her brothers. Ashitaka looked up and saw her, his facing lighting up with a pleasant grin. It made San's heart wrench unbearably in sorrow and loneliness.  
They roasted and ate the fish, feasted on the berries and roots, and drank water brought up from the spring near the base of the hill. Before San knew it, it was time for him to go. The sun was almost directly overhead, and it was a long trip back to the human civilization. Tender goodbyes were exchanged, and then he was leaving. Her eyes bore into his blue-coated back as he and the red elk receded into the distance. She knew she could be with him longer, if only she accompanied him into town, but that would mean leaving the forest, the only home she'd ever known. And it needed her constant vigilance and protection. San fervently hoped Ashitaka would someday come to her completely, to be hers and hers alone until the end of their days. But that time was still far off. Ashitaka was not yet ready to leave his adopted people. He loved them strongly. As for herself, she didn't trust the humans. She never would. And she would never forgive them for what they'd done.  
  
Ashitaka had hardly passed under the massive timber gate that guarded the entrance to the town when he spotted a group of bare-footed Tatarans running towards him across the Common. They were shouting and waving their arms wildly to catch his attention.  
"What's going on?" he asked them as they gathered around Yakkuru. There were about five or six of them, and their faces were wide-eyed and filled with excitement.  
"Ashitaka!" one of them, a young girl said in a quick rush, trying to catch her breath at the same time. "There's someone here to see you! A Lady!"  
"A Lady?" Ashitaka repeated, confused, catching the emphasis on "lady." "Who is it?"  
"The Lady would not give us her name, Master Ashitaka," an older man explained. "She insisted on speaking with you immediately upon your arrival."  
"That's strange," commented Ashitaka, eyebrows drawn together in deep thought. It was obvious now why the people were so stirred up--the presence of nobility in Iron Town was practically non-existent, with the exception of Lady Eboshi, so the fact that there was a Lady in town was big news. But who would come to see him? "Where is she right now?"  
"The Lady is at your house, Master Ashitaka," said another woman, a chubby, middle-aged forge worker. "She insisted on waiting for you there. She wishes to see you right away."  
"Alright," replied Ashitaka after a moment. "I'll go see what she wants." He was about to urge Yakkuru into a trot, but the woman added,  
"She has a red elk, Master Ashitaka. Like your own."  
That fact caught Ashitaka off guard completely. He was stunned. A red elk? It could only mean one thing. He heeled Yakkuru's sides, forcing the already travel-weary animal into a fast gallop. Several townspeople leapt out of his path as he raced down the street like the wind. Ashitaka scarcely paid attention to where he was. His entire focus was bent on reaching home. On reaching whoever was waiting for him there. Red elks were rare enough themselves, and only one tribe of people kept them as beasts of burden. The Imishi. Ashitaka's own people. Whoever had come here looking for him had come from his home village. Home. He thought of it often, though he could never return. When the demon god that threatened his village cursed him, he was doomed to go mad and his soul to tear apart. Although the people of the village were sad to see him go, it was for the safety of them all. Ever since then, Ashitaka never saw nor heard from any of them again.  
Within a few short minutes, he was free of the crowded bustle of the main part of town. His solitary house stood apart from the rest, close to the timbered wall. It looked exactly the same as when he'd left, except for the presence of another red elk in the paddock beside the house. As they neared the dwelling, Ashitaka lightly dismounted and led Yakkuru to the other elk. He removed the reins, bridle, and saddle, and left them, along with the saddlebags, at the foot of the wooden posts driven into the ground. He opened the gate to the paddock, and Yakkuru eagerly pranced inside. The other elk trotted up to meet him. They touched noses, sniffing each other curiously, then, deciding to be friendly, settled down to munch on grass together. Ashitaka smiled as he watched them for a moment. Then he recalled his visitor and quickly trotted to his front door. He paused, one hand on the latch, and took a deep breath before entering. His house was dim inside. The only light was provided through the windows. He could see two shadowy figures sitting in chairs at his table. At the signal of the door opening, they stood and turned to face him as calmly and confidently as if they believed they had just as much right to be there as he.  
Ashitaka took a few tentative steps towards them. The wooden floorboards under his feet creaked softly in the silent atmosphere. One of the figures stepped out of the darkness. Ashitaka felt like his stomach had dropped to his toes. He could hardly believe his eyes. Standing serenely in front of him, arrayed in a soft blue and purple kimono and matching silk slippers, was his little sister.  
"Kaya," Ashitaka breathed her name, shattering the stillness. The moment seemed frozen in time as he stared wonderingly at the young woman. Kaya's face split into a huge grin, and she leapt on her brother with a shout of delight, threatening to crush his ribs in a tight, bone-breaking hug.  
"It's been so long!" she cried in her sweet, beautiful voice. Ashitaka felt tears brimming in his eyes as he hugged her back. He'd hoped with all his heart that it would be her. He had longed every day to see her face again. His little sister. The only family he had left in the world.  
"I can't believe it!" he said joyously. He took a step back and studied her as if he'd never seen her before. It had only been a little more than a year, but she seemed to have grown so much older than he remembered her as. For one thing, the difference in height was astounding. She must have grown at least six inches in the last several months. She was a young woman now. Her childish impudence was replaced with a dignified manner. Her former bottle-brush hairstyle was gone. Instead, longer, glossy brown hair was intricately sculpted and held back with gold clips and jewelry. Her smile still contained the same spunk, though. Not everything had changed.  
"Oh, I nearly forgot!" she cried, putting a slender white hand to her lips in distress. "Please allow me to introduce my loyal bodyguard, Kenshin." She held out her hand to indicate the taller man behind her. He had a rugged, yet disciplined air about him, and Ashitaka wasn't surprised to see a curved samurai sword tied to his waist. He looked young, maybe only a few years older than Ashitaka. His black hair was cut short, but a long tail hung from the base of his neck. The samurai, Kenshin, bowed solemnly and silently in respect for the man who was Kaya's brother. His expression was almost stony, as though he was intimately aware of every little thing going on around them, and ready to pounce like a hunter at the mere scent of danger. He reminded Ashitaka of a half-tame wolf.  
"Kaya, what are you doing here?" inquired Ashitaka, puzzled. "You were supposed to stay with the village and lead the people. How did you find me? How is everyone back home?"  
Kaya silently held up a hand for him to cease the barrage of questions. Her face grew troubled, but she managed to conceal it  
"Please, brother, let's all sit down. We have much to talk about."  
Kaya bid Ashitaka and Kenshin to take a seat at the table. With one of the matches kept in a box on the plain, unadorned table, she lit the three tallow candles to provide some light.  
"Marvelous inventions, these," she commented admiringly. "Like many of the things made in this town." She took a seat between her bodyguard and her brother.  
"Ashitaka," she began, then stopped. She seemed to be having trouble deciding what to say.  
"Kaya," said Ashitaka suddenly worried, "what is it?" His sister folded her hands fitfully on her lap, wringing her fingers, and stared down dismally at the table. Ashitaka had to guess.  
"What happened back home?" he asked carefully. He could see her small body begin to tremble slightly at the mention of home. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it wasn't enough to stop the sudden stream of tears that flowed unbidden down her cheeks. Kenshin placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Ashitaka was alarmed. His sister was never one to be very emotional. She had the heart of a leopard. Something terrible must have happened.  
"Kaya, what happened?" he asked again, his voice rising in volume. Kenshin gave him an irritated look, as if warning him not to speak too loudly in Kaya's presence, fragile as she'd become. Kaya, not looking at either of them, said firmly through her tears, "Kenshin, would you please leave us alone for a while?" With a nod, the silent warrior stood and departed, back into the bright, sunlit afternoon on the other side of the door. Ashitaka envied him. He too, longed for the sunlight, but he knew it wouldn't pierce the despairing darkness that was threatening to shadow his soul. He took a few slow breaths to settle his mind, then asked again,  
"Kaya, please tell me what happened to our village." He waited for a couple of minutes for her to gather herself and respond. Her reply came between short, choking sobs.  
"Our village.....was destroyed......and the people......scattered.......Some were taken prisoner...but most were killed."  
The seconds ticked past as if they were hours. Ashitaka felt as if his blood had turned to ice. His eyes went wide in shock. "How?" he stammered. "Who did this?"  
"Our village was caught......in a war zone," Kaya sobbed, overcome with emotion. "Just a few months ago. The Eastern lands are wracked with civil wars," she continued. "Our village......was caught in the middle."  
Ashitaka was speechless. He felt numb. The distant sound of his sister's weeping blended in horribly with the sounds of screams and clashing swords that resounded in his mind. The sounds of battle. Squealing horses and the roar of flames that consumed homes. He'd heard these sounds before, in his travels. Seen the crying children that witnessed the brutal torture and murder of their parents and friends. The shouts of soldiers and commanders as they overran the fields, coursed through the streets, and surged through people's homes. Ashitaka heard them as plainly as if he'd been there himself. Was he really hearing them? Or was it just a memory? One of the several he had of events like this? He couldn't tell. He felt sick inside, like he wanted to retch. He slowly became aware of his sister, still crying and relating the details of what had happened through her tears.  
"It happened so quickly. We didn't know what was going on, at first. It was chaos! Then the soldiers started shooting whoever was out in the open, unprotected. They had wicked black arrows. Oh, Ashitaka, they killed the Oracle! And Ojiisan! It was awful! They were all full of black arrows. Everyone was shrieking," she cried, putting her hands to her ears, as if trying to block out the noise of the memory. "Kenshin pulled me out of the battle. He carried me all the way to Kawashimo Mura. I was unconscious most of the time," she added shamefully. "A soldier hit me in the head with the butt of his spear." She shuddered, and in a low whisper murmured, "I'm just glad that's all he did to me. I saw much, much worse going on all around me..." Her brother looked at her pityingly, waiting patiently for her to continue. "Later Kenshin went back on foot to our village. There was nothing left but smoldering rubble and dead bodies. He also said there was a trail of horse tracks and uneven human footprints. He believes that the survivors, if there were any, were captured, taken prisoner. Oh, Ashitaka!" she cried aloud, voice full of despair and grief. "Why did this happen?! Why did so many people have to die? How could anyone be so merciless and cruel to do the things I saw?" Ashitaka gently put a finger on her lips to halt the flow of heart- wrenching words she spoke. She looked at him in surprise, but understood. She gulped and said, her voice a little more stable now, "I'm glad I finally found you Ashitaka." She looked like she was about to say more, but gave up. Ashitaka instinctively, wrapped his sister tightly in his arms and held her close. She grabbed onto him, longing for comfort. Ashitaka recalled the sounds of battle. Images he'd seen on his journeys that reshaped themselves in his mind to fit Kaya's description of the horror she had survived. His closest friends. Slaughtered. Neighbors. Taken prisoner. Who knew what awful fate they were facing now? Little children that played in the fields near the village. Huddled together in the wreckage of ruined homes, watching the carnage. Who knew what had become of them? It hardly seemed real. These were people he knew. People he'd laughed with, played with, watched over, and protected. How had it come to this? A cold, sickening shudder coursed through his body at the thought. He held on to his sister tightly. She was real. She was right there, in his arms, safe and sound.  
"Thank goodness you're safe," he whispered, over and over again.  
"I was so afraid I wouldn't find you!" Kaya bawled against his chest, losing control of her emotions all over again. Ashitaka's own feelings were roiling like storm clouds, building up until he could no longer hold back his own tears. All of his friends and loved ones, dead and gone. Except for her. Except for her.  
Ashitaka wept.  
  
When dusk enveloped the land and twilight fell, Ashitaka lit the logs in the fireplace and soon a strong, healthy fire was living in the hearth. He and his sister sat silently before it on the small woven rug, absorbing the warmth it gave off. Their tears were all used up, and they felt weary from hours of mourning. Kaya's news had dampened Ashitaka's spirits immeasurably, but he was thankful that she had made it to Iron Town unharmed. He rocked her gently while she rested against his shoulder. "Ashitaka," she said in a tired, cracked voice, "do you still have the crystal dagger I gave you when you left home?" Ashitaka blinked in surprise. The question caught him totally off guard, and he wasn't sure how to answer it. He was afraid to. The beautiful necklace, the crude knife-shaped chunk of deep purple and blue crystal, had been given to him when he was exiled so that he'd never forget her. "No, I don't have it anymore," he admitted regretfully. He felt her become tense suddenly in his arms. "I gave it to a young woman," he explained. There was a short pause. "Because I am in love with her." Kaya sprang up, electrified at this sincere admission of guilt, a fascinated and extremely interested look on her face. Ashitaka misinterpreted it and braced himself for the coming onslaught of enraged words. "You did?" she exclaimed. A slow smile spread like warm honey over her features. Ashitaka was taken aback by her positive, cheerful reaction. Kaya didn't pay attention to his distressed expression and demanded more information, intrigued by the fact that her elder brother had fallen in love. "Have you made her your bride yet?" she interrogated him. "Who is she? What is she like? Can I meet her?" Ashitaka smiled, very much pleased that he wouldn't have to face his sister's wrath, not to mention something to finally take his mind off the horror and sorrow his soul was burdened with, and proceeded to tell her about Princess Mononoke. Kaya no longer seemed bothered that he gave her precious parting gift to him away. In fact, she seemed rather excited about it, and thought it to be terribly romantic. The warrior and the princess. Typical teenaged girl that she was, she was completely captivated by the story. Ashitaka laughed it off and told her more about San.  
  
As the evening progressed, Ashitaka offered to show her around town that evening, and Kaya gratefully accepted. She was homeless now, but Ashitaka argued that when she was with him, she would always have a home. He insisted that she stay with him, but his sister declined politely.  
"Lady Eboshi has already given Kenshin and me a place to stay. She's a wonderful woman," she said. "So graceful and smart and pretty." She'd obviously taken a great liking to the town's leader, like most of the women in Iron Town.  
Ashitaka wanted to know more about the mysterious and quiet samurai Kaya had brought with her.. The one who had saved her from the attack on their village. "Is he a boyfriend?" he asked in a gentle, teasing manner. Kaya lightly smacked him, indignant. But she said nothing in her defense. Ashitaka wisely decided to leave it at that. His sister would be more than safe with both him and that warrior Kenshin around. That was enough for him.  
"Would you like to go for a walk?" Ashitaka asked, his spirits returning. "The town is really nice at night."  
"Yes, I know," responded Kaya. "And yes, I would." Ashitaka quickly extinguished the fire, and the two put on their shoes and light coats and fled from the dark, oppressing atmosphere of the house.  
  
The town was indeed beautiful at night. The forge looked like a towering, fiery volcano against the night sky. The stars shone brightly, mirroring the lights coming from the streets and houses of the town. The air was cool, and people filled the streets doing last-minute shopping, talking to neighbors, or just walking around for a pleasant evening like the two of them were. Ashitaka introduced his sister to the townspeople, who were thrilled to meet a blood relative of a living legend and treated her like a celebrity. A pair of deep black eyes watched them from the black shadows of an alley. They belonged to Takiko, who had noticed all of the excitement going on and had come to investigate. She felt her blood boil at the sight of the young woman who was holding onto Ashitaka's arm, looking happy and comfortable. Her mind raced. Who was she? No one Takiko had ever seen before. She must be the stranger everyone had been talking about recently. Why was she so close to Ashitaka? Why did she smile at him and lean against him so casually? And why was Ashitaka allowing it? Who was she?!  
"That foreign girl over there is his sister," remarked a tubby, brown- haired woman from beside Takiko. Takiko squeaked and jumped slightly, startled. The woman rested a large basket filled with vegetables on her hip and laughed a short, barking laugh.  
"That's the talk of the town, anyway. She arrived yesterday. I think she means to settle down permanently. She seems like a nice person." The woman took another weighing, figuring glance at Takiko and laughed again. "She's his sister. Relax. Ashitaka hasn't tied himself down to anybody yet, but I think you've already got tough competition dear." She turned her gaze back to Ashitaka and Kaya, who were continuing down the street. She gave a low whistle. "I think he's quite a catch, though."  
"You think too much," retorted Takiko acidly. The tubby woman laughed loudly a final time and left her. Takiko could still hear her chuckling as she went. She was furious. The woman was old enough to be Ashitaka's mother, but she was acting like a young maiden just entering womanhood. She was more irritated by her mocking attitude. It made Takiko angry. Even worse, Ashitaka had disappeared, so she left the alley and walked home by herself. The woman said that she had "competition." What did she mean? Was Ashitaka already taken? That couldn't be true. Takiko spied on him often when he went around town, and she never saw him with any girl except this sister of his just now. So it was no one in the village. But what about when he left on those long trips of his? Where did he go? She deeply desired to know the answers and resolved to find out. 


	5. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 5

Princess Mononoke Continuation Fic By Danny N.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Even though San wouldn't be expecting him for several more days, Ashitaka rode out on Yakkuru the very next morning. He heart was full to bursting over the arrival of his sister, and he wanted to tell San all about it. He'd only mentioned his sister to her once or twice, when she inquired about his family, but it was a painful subject for him, and she eventually left the matter at rest. Kaya had badly wanted to come herself to meet San, but Ashitaka had decided against it. San was very adamant about keeping her forest free of human intruders. Ashitaka was the only exception, and he didn't know if she would permit even his own sister. Besides, Kaya was still weary from the long trip and from grieving over lost neighbors and friends. Ashitaka thought it best that she stay home for a few days in the comfortable house Lady Eboshi had generously provided.  
Ashitaka let Yakkuru amble aimlessly down the rough deer path that wound through the forest. He had no clue where San was--she could be anywhere in the vast expanse of woods--and his supernatural sense hadn't detected her presence yet. The search would take a while, but Kaya was expecting him back soon. Ashitaka checked by their cave home first, but she wasn't there. Nor were the wolves. 'They must be out hunting,' Ashitaka thought. The prey trails the wolves usually through the woods turned up nothing, however. Until he could sense San's proximity to him, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He and Yakkuru next proceeded to the river, to San's favorite fishing spot-a small outcrop of rock beneath an elm tree. The slight tugging sensation had begun to pull at him again, telling him she was close by, but there was no one in sight. Ashitaka lighted off the elk and knelt down to study the place. The moss was crushed and crumpled in places. He narrowed his eyes. She had to have come by here recently. Suddenly he felt a stronger tingle go throughout his body. It was her.  
"Ashitaka," came a clear, female voice from behind him. He wheeled around to see her standing nearby on the riverbank, a forked, pointed fishing spear in one hand, a round-eyed, toothy fish in the other. Her face betrayed no emotion, but Ashitaka could tell from her eyes that she was mildly surprised to see him there.  
"San," he said, standing up. San remained where she was, rooted to the spot.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone slightly suspicious. "I thought you weren't coming back until the full moon."  
"I know, but something came up," he explained. "My sister. She's here. Well, in Iron Town actually." His face fell, and he grew serious. "She carried ill tidings with her. My home village has been destroyed. Everyone's dead or taken prisoner."  
"How?" asked San simply. Her eyes showed little sympathy, but that was just her way.  
"There are wars in the land to the East," Ashitaka told her. "The people are fighting amongst each other. My village was caught in one of the battles." His heavy, painful words hung in the air. They both were silent. Ashitaka waited for San to speak her own mind, but all she gave him was a hard stare. "Humans are fools," she said at last. Ashitaka was caught off guard. This wasn't what he had expected her to say. But her expression didn't alter-- she was resolute. He sighed in sorrowful acknowledgement. "Yes, they are." San busied herself with laying the toothy fish out on the grass and setting aside the forked stick. "What do you intend to do?" she asked. "Nothing," Ashitaka replied. "There's nothing I can do but go home. Kaya's waiting for me. She also wants to meet you," he added as the thought struck him. San got a distinctly uncomfortable look on her face. Ashitaka's assumptions were correct. The prospect of permitting another into her forest still didn't appeal-Kaya was still an unknown. An outsider. There was an alternative, however. "You could come with me to Iron Town," he suggested. Automatically San stiffened, readying herself for the inevitable argument. "Please, San," he begged imploringly. "Just for one day." The stubborn look remained, so he went over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "No." "Please," he said again. Her blue eyes met his own, and she glared at him. Ashitaka lowered his head to gently kiss her neck, hoping it would soften her. He heard her sigh slowly with displeasure and exasperation. "Alright," she grumbled in a low voice, though she didn't sound at all happy about it. "For one day." With a smile Ashitaka happily enveloped her in his arms and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear. San stolidly ignored him, already brooding over her decision. "Everything will be fine," he added. San nailed him with a look stating her disapproval over the whole idea, but he pretended not to notice it. One of the wolves came into view, loping along the bank and came to a stop alongside his human sister. San took up her spear and fish and hopped up onto its back. Ashitaka mounted Yakkuru, turning him in the direction of the town. "You might as well stay until tomorrow," San commented off-handedly. Ashitaka looked at her. "After all, it's a long journey back, and it wouldn't be fair to Yakkuru to ride him so far without a rest." Ashitaka grinned. He knew her little mannerisms well enough to know she really wasn't as concerned over the elk as she was acting. She was asking him to stay with her because she wanted him there. He concealed a small grin. When San and the wolf went journeying over the slopes of the mountains for the rest of the afternoon, looking out for trouble and more game, Ashitaka and Yakkuru were right alongside them.  
  
Long after the sun had gone down that day, San lay back on the grass at the base of a white stone mound, gazing up at the immense sky above. The bright moon was half full, shining benevolently on the world. The myriad of stars around it twinkled, giving what little light they could. The night was surprisingly clear and warm. A warm breeze was blowing, rocking the trees as they sang with the crickets. Somewhere an owl was calling in the night, on the lookout for mice. It was absolutely peaceful, but San's heart and thoughts were turbulent and doubting. She couldn't stop thinking about what she'd agreed to earlier. It had seemed like a bad idea then, and it felt even more wrong now. The only times she had ventured into the human city had been to raid it or kill the inhabitants. They were her enemies. So why had she gone and agreed to such a rash thing? She looked over at Ashitaka, sleeping noiselessly on his straw cloak beside her. It was his fault, she knew. He had manipulated her into that promise. She disliked him for it, for the power he held over her, but couldn't deny such an earnest request. 'If it makes him happy.' she thought wistfully. She grinned wryly to herself in the darkness. 'I'm going soft.' If she had known that love would do this to her before she met Ashitaka, she would have avoided it like the foaming sickness. But now she was hopelessly trapped, like a rabbit under the claws of an eagle. 'But how soon until I am devoured?' she wondered, curling up closer to him. She lay awake for a long time afterwards, her mind giving her no peace. She glanced at Ashitaka, and quietly climbed to her feet. She walked over to the back of the mound in search of solace. Her wolf brothers were slumbering there, bodies blending in with the white rocks that reflected the moonlight. As she approached, they heard her footsteps on the grass, smelled her scent on the breeze, and awoke. There was a great amount of leg-stretching and yawning before they finally addressed her. "What is it, San?" one questioned her in his deep growl. "I'm worried," San replied. "About the human place?" the other one asked. San nodded. "I shouldn't have told him I'd go." "But you did." San could almost feel the heat of their golden gazes as their eyes bore into her, waiting for a response, but she gave them none. "We will go with you, if you like," the first one said seriously, in a low rumble that silenced the crickets. San glanced at him in surprise and felt a chuckle well up inside her.  
"That wouldn't be a very good idea," she said, amused. She scratched him on the muzzle. "But thanks anyway."  
The other wolf peered at her mysteriously for a long moment. "The boy will run with you, where we cannot," he growled. San looked at him questioningly. "But if anything happens to you while you are gone, I will tear his limbs off," the wolf added with extremely thin humor. San smiled and lovingly hugged him around his thick, furry neck. The wolves settled back down in the thick, cool grass between the rocks, dozing off to sleep, and San returned to Ashitaka's side. Her talk with her brothers hadn't done much to alleviate her fears, but their steadfast love and confidence in her made her feel strong again. With a slightly lighter heart, she settled down beside Ashitaka and managed somehow to fall asleep.  
  
Early in the morning, while the air was still cool and damp with dawn mist, Ashitaka and San rode away from their camping spot. The wolves perched on the white mounds, blending in as if they were part of the stone. They watched the human couple's departure then sauntered off like wraiths back into the woods. San sadly followed them with her eyes, but Ashitaka gave her a reassuring hug from behind. As the journey through the forest continued, the sun shifted in the sky, following them sluggishly. The dappled shadows of leaves above danced on the path as the wind tousled their branches.  
Yakkuru's jolting gait was making San uncomfortable. She was unaccustomed to riding in a saddle, preferring the smooth, flowing strides of wolves and riding bareback. Ashitaka was at her back, holding her around the waist with one hand and clutching Yakkuru's reins in the other. Yakkuru's large horns arching above her and Ashitaka holding onto her gave San the feeling that she was trapped in a cage. It was a foolish notion, and she shook her head slightly to get rid of it.  
"The last time we rode like this," he murmured lovingly in his quiet, soothing voice, "I was shot and dying. Even so, you still wanted to kill me." He chuckled softly and lightly kissed her short hair.  
San was reminiscent, thinking much the same thing. "You said I was beautiful," she said. The memory was as fresh as if it had happened just a moment ago. She smiled with amusement. "My brothers really wanted to eat you then and there."  
"I'm glad you told them not to," said Ashitaka humorously in her ear. He grew serious again. "You really are beautiful," he said honestly. "The most beautiful woman I've ever seen, my wild one. My princess."  
San remained silent, but she rested her head back against his shoulder. The rough ride wasn't bothering her so much now.  
She didn't begin to get truly worried again until they left the safety of the green hills and entered out on the wide meadow that sloped gently down to the shore of the lake. The human town squatted on the other side of the water, an ugly, unnatural scab on the land. The pyramid-shaped forge towered over the rest of the buildings like an all-seeing taskmaster surveying slaves. The faraway clanging and yelling noises of the town were carried across to them on the breeze. San felt her pulse quicken and her muscles tense.  
"I'm not ready for this," she spluttered suddenly. "Ashitaka, I'm not ready. Take me back!" She squirmed nervously in his grip. He didn't let her go, nor did he halt Yakkuru.  
"San," it's okay," he said in a soft, calming tone. "Everything will be alright. Please give it a chance." His words were so sure and full of certainty that San felt the fear in her heart diminishing. But only a little.  
"Do you promise? Everything will be alright?"  
"Yes, of course. Have a little faith, San."  
San wasn't pleased with the idea. She was still entertaining second thoughts. But Ashitaka wanted this so badly, wanted her to be with him. Because he loved her. And she loved him too. When she focused on that one bright emotion, she felt her better judgment being gnawed away. She loved him, and she wanted him to be happy. If this would make him happy, then how could she refuse?  
"Alright," she agreed with a shudder. "I'll come." She tried to ignore the leaden feeling of her heart sinking. Ashitaka hugged her from behind again and kissed her ear tenderly.  
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "This means a lot to me."  
San was silent, hoping she wasn't making a terrible mistake.  
  
The watchman on duty for the afternoon, in one of the towers that stood as sentinels looking for any trouble that might threaten Iron Town, was staring lazily at the dark green blur in the far off distance over the lake that was the Great Forest. A fly was buzzing obnoxiously around him, and his eyelids were weighted with sleepiness. He yawned heavily as he absent-mindedly scratched the rough stubble on his chin.  
He was bored and getting hungry. His shift wouldn't be over until the sun set below the mountains in the west. He yawned again and rested his head on his arms as he continued his vigil.  
He was starting to dream about his girlfriend--a pretty, full-lipped young woman with amazing legs--when he noticed movement on the other side of the lake separating Iron Town from the Mononoke Forest. He took the short, leather-bound telescope from its stand in the corner of the tower parapet and peered through it.  
"Probably just Ashitaka," he said in an unexcited tone. The boy frequently disappeared off into those woods, though he never knew why. Sure enough, he spotted the elk Yakkuru's auburn coat and the boy as well. He lowered the telescope, but as an afterthought, yanked it back up to his eye again. He sought out the boy and the elk as they climbed into a boat and set sail for the far shore. The watchman double-checked what he saw. His eyes very nearly fell out of their sockets and his mouth dropped open at what he saw. There was a third person in the little craft with Ashitaka and his animal  
"It's the wolf girl," the watchman gasped. Dropping the telescope, barely noticing the sound of breaking glass, he raced down the ladder to the base of the tower. A couple of men driving their oxen towards the bridge that led out of town stopped and stared at the young watchman scrambling away from his station. "Go get Lady Eboshi!" he yelled at them in a panic-stricken voice. "It's the wolf princess!" The young men gaped at him in disbelief. "Go on! Go!" he ordered. They promptly left their oxen and tore across the town square in the opposite direction. The watchman practically flew back up the ladder, picked up the small iron mallet from its place on the wall, and rapidly beat the hanging slab of iron that served as the alarm system. The guards in other watchtowers around Iron Town heard the call and took it up, adding their own pounding to the din. At the signal, the enormous log gate came crashing down with a loud boom, barring the only entrance to Iron Town. Within minutes, life in Iron Town had come to a halt as the citizens in the streets froze, wondering what was going on, speculating in worried voices.  
A large crowd was beginning to gather in the town square, behind the timber gates, but it parted to make way for Lady Eboshi. She gracefully strode to the base of the tower and waited for the watchman to descend and give his report. The young, ill-shaven man hastily scurried down once again and bowed respectfully in her presence.  
"What seems to be the matter?" Eboshi asked him in a voice as refined and flowing as water. Her face showed no concern. The woman was a master of her emotions. The armies of the Emperor Himself could have been banging on the walls, and she wouldn't have batted an eyelash. The guard poured out the account of what he had seen, and waited for her command.  
"So Ashitaka is returning home to us once again, is he?" she said musingly. She gave a mildly stern expression. "Then open the gate and by all means let him in."  
"But my Lady," he protested. "The wolf girl is with him!"  
Lady Eboshi smiled cunningly. "It would be terribly rude of us not to allow his guest within our walls, wouldn't it?"  
"My Lady Eboshi," spoke up Gonza, her bodyguard and right-hand man, "the last time that little wretch visited our town, she tried to murder you! Surely you have not forgotten?"  
"That was then," contradicted Eboshi with another red-lipped smile. "Let's see if Ashitaka was able to tame that wolf girl of his." She got an almost devious look in her eye. "This should be very interesting," she said.  
  
Ashitaka was surprised to find the heavy timbered gate shut when he reached the opposite shore. He beached the raft and led San, on the back of Yakkuru, up the steeply sloping ground to the entrance of the town. He heard agitated voices on the other side of the gate, but the loud creaking of the timbers lifting drowned them out. Ashitaka was stunned by the scene that greeted him on the other side. Practically the whole population of Iron Town had congregated at the gate, eager for a glimpse of the returning prince and the feral wolf girl. Ashitaka didn't need to turn his head to know that San had become increasingly uncomfortable, fingernails digging into the leather saddle. He wasn't sure if this kind of welcome was such a good idea. Wordlessly he led Yakkuru into the midst of the crowd. They stood back, wide-eyed, giving him a wide berth. He looked at their pensive, uncertain faces thoughtfully. They were afraid of him. Or rather, of San.  
The only one bold enough to approach Ashitaka was Lady Eboshi. In her long sleeved, crimson and gold kimono, she cut a striking figure in comparison to most of the commoners in the square.  
"Welcome back, Ashitaka," she said graciously, eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. Ashitaka nodded shortly. Eboshi turned her attention to the girl on the back of the red elk.  
"And we welcome you as well, Princess Mononoke." Eboshi's sharp, shrewd eyes didn't miss the slight flicker of loathing and distrust that crossed the young woman's face. It made her smile, deeply amused, inside. The girl's feelings towards her--towards the one responsible for the destruction of the forest and the death of the Great Forest Spirit--hadn't changed one degree. But it was gone in an instant. And the wild young woman who a year ago would not have hesitated at leaping upon Eboshi to cut out her throat, was holding back. Remarkable. Ashitaka still looked wary, as though he was ready to separate the two should blood-letting become inevitable. But the wolf girl was behaving extraordinarily, if not for the piercing glare she was firing at Eboshi. 'My congratulations, Ashitaka,' she said to herself. 'You've done well.'  
Ashitaka scanned the faces in the crowd once again. His brow furrowed in perplexion. "My Lady," he addressed Eboshi, "where is my sister, Kaya?"  
"She is awaiting your arrival in her house." Ashitaka nodded again, showing his gratitude, and led the red elk and the woman on it through the streets of Iron Town. The townspeople were sure to give him plenty of room. He felt uncomfortable having the eyes of the crowd on him. He was sure San was just as edgy being flung into the midst of people she long considered enemies. They made a silent procession toward Kaya's house, buoyed by the sea of whispering urging them on. 


	6. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 6

Mononoke-hime Continuation  
  
Chapter Six  
  
The house that Lady Eboshi had provided to Kaya and Kenshin was much more refined than most in Iron Town. Ashitaka stole a glance around the large front room where he and Kenshin were made to wait for the women. It was lavishly furnished with pale, clean tatami mats, sliding paper doors with beautiful sumi paintings splashed on them, and warm, glowing lanterns hanging from the ceiling. He was sitting cross-legged on one of the plush cushions that ringed a low, mahogany table in the center of the room. Kenshin was in a similar position on his right, gazing down unblinkingly at the polished wood. What he was thinking about, Ashitaka could only guess. The dark-haired samurai had scarcely said a word to him all evening. Even silent and motionless, he looked as though he could spring up and have his sword at the ready before Ashitaka could even blink.  
Presently, a pair of maidservants came in, arrayed in a violet silk kimono, and brought in platters of delicious smelling food, from baked fish and fragrant wine to steamed vegetables and rice. Without speaking to the two men, the servants left the plates and utensils on the low table and bowed their way out of the room. Ashitaka arched an eyebrow slightly and remarked to Kenshin,  
"When did Kaya get servants?"  
"Lady Eboshi provided the servants as well as the house," Kenshin replied in a low, monotonic voice, barely paying attention to him.  
"That was kind of her," said Ashitaka, awed.  
The meal's aroma was permeating the room, making Ashitaka's stomach rumble discontentedly. He hadn't had anything to eat since before he left for Iron Town with San. He only hoped that the two women would hurry up with whatever it was they were doing. The thought had scarcely finished going through his head when one of the painted paper doors slid to one side with a gentle, rushing noise. Ashitaka looked up and nearly gasped.  
His sister was garbed in a crimson silk kimono with a deep purple sash and embroidered, saffron-colored flowers winding around the garment. Her face was lightly painted with makeup. It made her look older, somehow. More mature. She gave her brother and bodyguard a charming smile. Ashitaka was slightly amused to see the stoic samurai beside him gaze at her with wide eyes and a slightly glazed expression. Then Kaya stepped aside to reveal San behind her. Now it was Ashitaka's turn to stare in absolute wonder. The wild forest princess who'd never worn anything besides fur and shabby, frayed dresses was decked out in a similar scarlet kimono. Her short brown hair was washed and brushed until it shone. It also looked like Kaya had given it a trim. The lamplight cast a hazy halo on the crown of her head. There were small traces of red paint on the corners of her eyes. They tastefully brought out the blade-shaped red tattoos on her cheeks and forehead. She looked lovely, but there was a hint of a displeased frown on her lips.  
Kaya and San came to kneel down with the men at the table. Ashitaka still couldn't take his eyes off of San. She was acting ladylike, though her movements were a bit jerky and unpracticed. Still, that was a miracle all in itself. She looked absolutely beautiful. He thought he even caught the scent of rose perfume on her skin. How Kaya had managed to transform the wild, feral girl into a womanly maiden that took his breath away was a complete mystery. San, on the other hand, didn't look terribly comfortable with herself. She fidgeted restlessly, legs cramped from kneeling on the cushion, in imitation of her mentor.  
Kaya took up the pair of chopsticks in front of her and invited everyone to help himself to the food. Ashitaka gladly dug into the vegetables and rice, relieved to fill his aching stomach. San stared at hers for a few moments before picking them up. She'd never used them before. In the corner of her eye she carefully studied how Kaya was using hers for a minute, and soon figured out how to manipulate them to pick up food. She was a bit clumsy with them, but managed to get by, skewering chunks when she needed to. The food, at least, was good.  
"Here, try some of this," said Kaya brightly, pouring some of the fruity wine from the pitcher into San's goblet.  
"What is it?" San asked suspiciously, breathing in the scent of the drink. It looked like blood, but smelled sweet, like flowers.  
"It's wine," Kaya explained. "It's made from berries and things like that."  
San hesitantly tasted a sip of it. It tasted wonderful, like nothing she'd ever experienced before. There was a slight hint of raspberries in it. San loved raspberries. She drank deeply from the glass, enjoying the slightly tangy concoction as it ran down her throat. When she lowered the glass, the others were all staring at her in surprise.  
"What?"  
Kaya forced a smile to disguise her surprise. "Maybe you shouldn't drink it so fast, San. You'll get sick."  
"I feel fine," San objected. Kaya grimaced slightly and shook her head. As San took a second drink, Ashitaka stifled a chuckle and went back to his meal.  
Kaya kept the atmosphere bright and cheery with her lively chatter. She didn't inquire too deeply about San-Ashitaka asked her not to earlier-- but she was intensely curious about San's wolf brothers, where they lived, and about the forest. San behaved herself well and told her all about the wolves and her life in the forest. She gave stunning descriptions of the waterfalls and the rivers, such as how the moon and stars looked on clear nights, and the way the wind seemed to whisper through the tops of the trees right before a storm.  
Kaya absorbed it all, fascinated. Then she asked a precarious question, one that made Ashitaka wince inwardly.  
"Can I come to your forest and see it all someday?" she begged with child-like wonder.  
San's piercing blue eyes fixed immovably upon Kaya's face, as though she was trying to evaluate her worthiness. There was a momentary pause-- one in which Ashitaka feared that the harmony he'd worked to create would be irreparably disrupted. Then San closed her eyes and actually smiled.  
"Yes, someday you can," she said, giving Ashitaka's sister permission to enter her sacred world.  
Kaya beamed, and Ashitaka let out an inaudible breath of relief. So far so good.  
San wasn't an extremely talkative person, but Kaya had enough words for the all of them, filling the evening with news of the town, about the Imishi village before the disastrous wars had broken out, and her travels with Kenshin. Kenshin, Ashitaka noticed, was content to let her do all of the storytelling. He had to wonder, though, if some of it was exaggerated.  
After the meal was over and the dishes taken away by the servants-- the same ones that had come in earlier--the four relaxed together in front of the fireplace. Kaya was content to work on a piece of embroidery, and Kenshin, surprisingly, provided them all with some of the sweet music he played on a bamboo flute. Ashitaka was happy just listening to the songs and crackling flames; he had San with him.  
  
San rested in the embrace of Ashitaka's strong, gentle arms, watching as the embers in the fireplace died down to a comfortable red glow as the evening progressed. The constant rhythm of Ashitaka's breathing and the lyrical notes of the samurai's flute lulled her into a dim, relaxed haze. She found herself becoming peacefully sleepy. The scarlet wine seeping into her blood began to make her feel hot and feverish. Kaya was right. She shouldn't have drunk so much. She'd never felt so strange before. Like she was floating and burning up at the same time.  
When the music stopped and the dark shadows finally overpowered the light of the embers, Kaya rose from her place at Kenshin's feet and yawned drowsily.  
"It's getting late. I'm going to bed now," she announced. "San, Ashitaka, you two are welcome to stay the night. There are some futons and blankets in the closet."  
"Thanks," replied Ashitaka. "That would be great."  
"Goodnight then," Kaya mumbled with another long yawn. She retreated behind the sliding door to her bedroom. Kenshin followed, faithful bodyguard that he was, leaving San and Ashitaka alone together in the front room of the grand house. Ashitaka lit one of the remaining candles and searched for the bedding Kaya had offered. He laid the futons side by side on the bare tatami mats. San looked down at them dubiously, poking the thin, but fluffy mattress with a finger.  
"It's very soft," Ashitaka assured her, doffing his cotton shirt. He couldn't help a small grin at San's hesitant expression. She was used to sleeping on rocks and pine branches. This would be quite a new experience for her. He collapsed on the feather-stuffed futon and let out a low sigh of pleasure as the knots in his back from a long day's riding worked themselves out. Hands behind his head, he gazed up at San. He noted the pink flush that was spreading over her cheekbones. It startled him a little. San probably never blushed in her entire life. And it wasn't the first time she'd been with him.  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
She shook her head slightly. "I feel hot," she said. "It's stuffy in here."  
Ashitaka laughed softly in amusement. "It's the wine," he explained. "It'll wear off in a while."  
"I hope so," said San irritably.  
  
In the middle of the night, a shuffling sound woke San from her light, uncomfortable sleep. It was barely audible, but her carefully trained hearing was almost as sharp and acute as that of her wolf brothers. She glanced at Ashitaka beside her. He was completely oblivious everything. San wasn't surprised. He slept like a rock. As quiet as an owl's feather on the night air, she rose from the blankets and abandoned him, creeping towards the sliding paper door that separated the front door from the street. Garbed only in a soft, sleeping robe, she crouched low on the tatami mats, listening. Her breathing and the beat of her heart was loud in her ears, combined with the night sounds of hidden crickets outside. But there was another sound. One that didn't belong. It was a soft, shuffling, like something squirming around in dust. It was close. Right outside the paper wall. San's eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, and she saw the vague gray shadow of something large lurking around outside. It was obviously trying to be silent, and doing a poor job. San's instincts quickly classified the intruder as a threat. She wasn't very familiar with human customs, but this seemed to make sense. More silent than the figure outside could ever hope to be, San stole back across the room, keeping low to the floor. She reached under her side of the futon and pulled out a foot-long stone knife with red markings. Her razor sharp dagger.  
Leaving Ashitaka to sleep peacefully under the covers, she crept back to the sliding door. She could tell by the receding noises that the intruder had moved away. Probably trying to find another way into the house. San slowly slid the door open, eyes darting in all directions in search of the one making the sounds. When she felt certain it was safe, like water she flowed out onto the porch. Then suddenly, she saw a faint movement in the shadows by the corner of the house and held her knife ready, sliding the door shut behind her. Her bare feet made no sound whatsoever on the floorboards as she approached the shadow-clad figure, ready to attack if it so much as breathed wrong.  
"Who's there?" she demanded in a hushed voice. "Show yourself, or I'll kill you." There was a pause, and San caught the scent of shock from her quarry. It was hastily masked though, by another emotion.  
"Are you the wolf princess?" came a silky, feminine voice from the darkness.  
"Show yourself!" San said, brandishing her blade. The intruder was silent for a few seconds, then stepped slowly out of the deep shadows. San didn't so much as flinch, but she decided to regard this woman with caution. She didn't look like much of a threat. She had a pretty face and was garbed in a kimono that gleamed in the moonlight. However, the woman carried an air of menace about her. San hadn't dealt with humans much, but she trusted her instincts. This one was not to be taken lightly.  
"I've done as you asked," Takiko said with mock grace. "Are you the Princess Mononoke?"  
San didn't dignify the question with an answer. Air of menace or no, such a careless human deserved no respect from her.  
"You are, aren't you?" asked Takiko. "Yes. That rough hair, those marks on your face...There's no doubt. You're the one," she said.  
"What do you want?" San demanded. There was no way the girl could match her prowess in a fight, but all the same, she started scanning the area for possible advantages, all without taking her eyes from the young woman.  
"I want Ashitaka," Takiko confessed boldly. "Give him to me."  
San was taken off guard. Ashitaka?  
"What do you want with him?" she inquired in a low voice. "If you've come to kill him..." She twitched the dagger in her clenched fist to make her point.  
Takiko laughed loudly, rudely disturbing the nighttime quiet. "That's not what I want him for," she said scornfully.  
"What then?"  
"I want him," she enunciated, a fiery gleam in her dark eyes. "I want his body. His soul. His love. And I don't think any half-wild little pretender will keep me from getting what I want. Ashitaka belongs with his own kind," she said, drawing out the venomous words and enjoying them. San scowled.  
"You'll have to fight me for him," she stated simply. She quickly assessed her position. She was armed only with her knife, and her robe wouldn't allow her to move too freely. But still, she would defend what was hers. "Face me," San beckoned.  
"I intend to," said Takiko with a low, dangerous croon. With a cry like a wildcat, she lunged at her rival. A small, silver blur appeared between her cream-colored fingers, taking a swipe at San. With unnatural reflexes, San easily parried the weak attack with her larger knife. The little dagger was torn from Takiko's hand and went flying off to some unknown destination in the shadows. Takiko looked stunned at how quickly the wild beast-girl had disarmed her; she snarled at San. "You little..." she hissed. Takiko reached under her obi and withdrew a second knife identical to the first. With a piercing yell that could have roused half the people on the street, she charged again at the wolf princess.  
San was ready for the attack this time, but she underestimated just how serious Takiko was. When the stone and steel blades connected, San was surprised at how strong her opponent was, if unskilled. She was beginning to view Takiko in a new light. The small traces of paint blended in with the ferocity on Takiko's moonlit face. Her eyes were alight with hatred. San wisely decided not to take this girl's threats lightly. Takiko struck again and again with her tiny knife, desperately seeking an opening in San's defenses. Her raven hair was loose and flowing with her movements. San judged that Takiko was undoubtedly an amateur with her weapon. Her movements were wild and uncalculated. On the other hand, San was a full- blooded warrior. Her knife was as familiar as her own body and light and deft in her hand. It was simple to counter Takiko's attacks. But still, there was a ferocity in Takiko that caught San off guard. She decided this would not be a good time to lead Takiko on. Best to finish this ordeal now, and get back to Ashitaka before he awoke.  
When Takiko came again at San, the latter wasted no time in acting in her own self-defense. With a quick motion, she deflected Takiko's blade, in the same movement seizing the woman's wrist in her grip, then thrust the stone knife towards Takiko's face. Takiko, in the critical seconds where every moment seemed to stretch, barely managed to turn her head aside at the last second to avoid the impaling point that would have punctured her skull. The sharp edge of the blade bit into her cheek instead, slicing a long, deep gash into her flesh from chin to ear. Takiko lost her balance- San released her-and she stumbled off of the porch, collapsing to the dusty street below. She looked up in sudden fright at the sight of Princess Mononoke coming at her like a diving hawk, knife in hand, ready for the kill. She shrieked deafeningly.  
Lights were now coming on in the windows of the buildings on either side of the street as people were drawn from their beds to investigate the event taking place in the dark street. A few townspeople emerged from illuminated doorways and gaped at what they saw. Ashitaka was among them, standing by the paper door, wondering what the matter was. Then his gaze fell on San.  
The wolf princess was crouching over Takiko, ready to take the life of the insolent human girl who had threatened her. Her cold, hard eyes paid no attention to the tears that were streaming down the terrified girl's face. All she saw was the bleeding red line drawn on the woman's left cheek. It filled her vision and urged her to finish what she had begun. The final decision made, she raised her arm to deliver the fatal blow.  
San abruptly felt something holding her back. She twisted around and saw Ashitaka, disbelief written all over his face, eyes pleading for her to stop.  
"San, stop! Stop this right now!"  
"Let go!" San shouted at him. "I'm going to kill her!"  
"San, listen to me!" Ashitaka insisted. "Drop the knife!"  
San wouldn't do as he said, so he had to wrestle it out of her fingers. He chucked it to the earth, burying it point first in the dirt. Takiko stared at the glimmering blade, dumbstruck, immensely relieved that she wasn't dead. A thin line of her own blood coated its edge. She looked up at the savage woman who was still struggling in the embrace of Ashitaka, and decided to take initiative.  
"Help! Help!" she began to cry. "She's trying to kill me!"  
At the sound of her pleas, the townspeople mustered up their courage and rushed to the young maiden's aid. A couple of them helped her to her feet and began to lightly dab the gash in her face with material from their sleeves. Others went to help Ashitaka restrain San. He wasn't in need of any help thanks to his own superior strength, but they latched on to the writhing girl anyway. Takiko, sheltered by the comforting arms of one of the forge women, shot a look of triumph at San. True, she was shaken down to her very bones and scared more than half to death of what the wild woman might have done to her, but for the moment she was safe. She enjoyed the sight of the enraged San struggling to free herself of her captors to take another swipe at her. More and more townspeople were filling the street, armed with lamps and clubs, ready to break up the disturbance. A bald head could be seen pushing through the crowd. It belonged to none other than Gonza, Lady Eboshi's right hand man.  
"What the devil is going on?" he demanded gruffly. He finally made his way through the wall of bodies, to the center of the commotion. His eyes were immediately fixed on the wolf princess, who had at least calmed down enough not to fight the men restraining her. Much. "Someone explain this to me right now!" Gonza ordered.  
"We found the two of them in the street," one man offered. "The wolf girl was trying to kill Miss Takiko." He bent down and picked up San's stone knife, showing it to Gonza. Gonza took it and studied it carefully. He frowned at the dark red, dust-spattered blade. He turned to San, who was still pinned under Ashitaka's arms. San fired him a baleful glare in return.  
"Lock her up!" he commanded. Ashitaka immediately spoke up in San's defense.  
"Wait! Let's listen to her side of the story first!" he cried. "We should find out why this fight started in the first place!"  
"We'll do no such thing!" Gonza roared angrily at him. "The girl's a demon! We should have known better than to let such a wild beast into our peaceful town!" He turned to the crowd assembled around them. "Take her away!" he shouted.  
"No, wait!" Ashitaka exclaimed, reaching out his hand in protest, but San was already one step ahead of him. Taking advantage of his loosened grip on her, she beat off a couple of older men holding her legs and slipped out from under Ashitaka's arms and dashed into the street, plunging into the wall of people. A few yelled and shrieked as she slithered around them, looking for an opening to freedom. She broke free of the mass of bodies and went tearing off down the street, noiseless except for the sounds of her feet pounding the dust.  
"San!" Ashitaka shouted after her. She paid him no heed, just continued her flight away from the crowd.  
"SAAAN!"  
"Quickly, after her!" Gonza ordered the men around him. Armed with torches and assorted tools they obeyed swiftly, coursing down the street after the escapee. Gonza gave Ashitaka one last flat look before following them, shouting orders left and right. Takiko tried to move closer to Ashitaka to speak to him and convince him of the wolf princess' wicked ways, but the forge women with her pulled her away, whispering about the ugly gash on her cheek.  
"Come along, dear," they said. "Let's go get that cleaned up."  
"But--!" Takiko protested, but she was overruled and led away. Ashitaka was finally left alone in the street as the townspeople either went to join the chase or go back to their beds. Kaya and Kenshin, unnoticed, appeared behind him.  
"Ashitaka, what happened?" asked Kaya, wide-eyed in the moonlight.  
Ashitaka stared down the street in the direction San had fled then at her dagger sticking up out of the ground.  
"I'm not sure," he said. "But I have to find San!" Without offering any further explanation, he ran off in the other direction, towards his house on the perimeter of the town, leaving the samurai and the princess behind in bewilderment. 


	7. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 7

Mononoke-hime Continuation  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Ashitaka ran hard and fast for a long while, sprinting through the streets of Iron Town, sometimes following the crowd on San's trail, and finally came, panting and with his side aching fit to burst, to his lonely house by the city wall. Bursting through the front door, he found and struck a match only to find that the small pile of things San had brought with her from the forest had been snatched up and taken.  
"She's already been here," he said to himself. He couldn't have missed her by any more than a couple of minutes. She might still be in the area. Trying to calm his nerves and racing heart, he touched the end of the match to a candlewick before the little flame strayed too close to his fingertips. The dim light revealed his house much the same as he had left it, except for a pale cotton robe on the floor at his feet.  
"She's gone back," he said ruefully, bending over to pick it up.  
He sighed and banged his fist once on the doorpost in complete frustration, actually tearing a chunk of the hard wood out. Everything had been going so well! San had really seemed to fit in, if just for a short while. But now the situation was ruined. Why?  
"Why, San?" he shouted aloud. "Why do you keep running away from me?"  
"Wild animals can do nothing but attack and run," came a silky voice from the shadows beyond the candlelight. Ashitaka jerked, startled, and peered into the darkness.  
"Who's there?" he demanded warily.  
A petite, elegant figure stepped into the edge of the light. One that he recognized.  
"Takiko!" Ashitaka cried, gaping. "What are you doing here?"  
"Waiting for you," the young woman answered simply. It had been difficult to get away from the gaggle of women who had taken on the task of tending her, but with all of the commotion going on and the manhunt in the street, she had managed to duck away and make her way here, to where she knew the young man would eventually come. She kept her face turned aside slightly to conceal the wound on her beautiful features. It was no longer bleeding and had been cleaned up a little, but it still stung painfully. Her dark, lustrous hair helped to hide it.  
"For me?" Ashitaka repeated, confused. "Why?" Not waiting for a response, he turned to go back outside. He didn't have the time to wonder why this young woman was trespassing in his house. He didn't really care at the moment.  
"Let her go!" Takiko pleaded, seizing him by the shoulders and wheeling him around forcefully. She forgot in her urgency to keep her face turned, but Ashitaka was too shocked by her action to really take notice of the still-fresh scar on her skin. Takiko locked her shiny, obsidian eyes on his blue ones with a burning intensity that was echoed in her voice. "She is nothing more than an animal!" she hissed, "with no civility, no family, and no honor! Let her go back to the wild from which she was spawned!"  
"I love her!" Ashitaka cried out in protest.  
"But she does not love you!" Takiko replied, emphasizing every word. "She isn't even capable of that emotion! Please, Ashitaka, listen to me! You belong with humans! You belong with your own kind! Let your own kind love you!" Her voice quivered like a harp string. "Let me love you!" Without letting Ashitaka have a moment to assemble his thoughts, Takiko stood on her toes and, throwing her arms tightly around his neck, kissed him ardently on the lips. She didn't care when Ashitaka dropped the candle, and it clattered to the floor, going out. She was relishing the warmth of his mouth and his heaving chest. "Please," she whispered against his mouth. "I love you so much. From the first moment I saw you, I knew I could never feel this way about anybody else ever again. You're the only one I can ever love. And I do love you, Ashitaka!" She drew her gaze up to his eyes. "I do! Please forget about her! She only wants to hurt you." Her features took on a dangerous determination. "I want to you to be mine. I need you."  
Ashitaka, stunned and momentarily paralyzed by Takiko's unexpected words, not to mention the kiss, dazedly tried to liberate himself from her clutches.  
"Takiko, I.can't," he objected. He gently placed his hands on her wrists and pulled them off of him. Takiko shot him a look of hurt and betrayal, and stepped back, red lips trembling, eyes glistening with tears. "I'm in love with San," Ashitaka admitted plainly. "And no one else. I'm sorry, but I can't give you what you want." He shifted his weight, about to head back out into the night and continue his search for San.  
"Please!" cried Takiko in desperation, making a move to stop him. She caught herself before she grabbed on to him though, and reconsidered. "Ashitaka, wait!" she cried. Ashitaka turned and looked at her indifferently. Takiko's body trembled. She was about to lose him again. No! She couldn't bear it. Not after she'd made her feelings known. She had to hold on to him! "I'll.I'll do anything." Takiko murmured softly. She made a simple yet vulgar sign with her hands, one that would have made even a brothel girl blush and any decent woman faint. As if he'd been punched in the face, Ashitaka turned away and spluttered with shock,  
"No, Takiko. I could never treat you like that. You deserve better." Anxious to leave the room as soon as possible, he strode briskly outside. He wished he didn't have to hear Takiko's anguished shouts as he left her behind in his house.  
"Ashitaka, stop! Don't leave me! No!"  
Ashitaka clenched his teeth and swallowed hard. 'I'm sorry, Takiko,' he thought. 'I wish you happiness, but I cannot be your love.' Without answering her pleas, he fled the site as fast as his legs could carry him. Takiko, heartbroken and shattered, watched helplessly as Ashitaka disappeared back into the night, which was slowly transforming into day. Already the deep bluish-black sky was becoming lighter, tinged with gray clouds. Realizing just how utterly alone she was, she collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes.  
"Ashitaka," she said. The name died on her lips. He was gone. Takiko was dumbstruck. After all her efforts and after everything she put herself through, she had failed. Ashitaka would not be hers.  
"No," she whimpered. "No. No. No." Immediately hot, vengeful tears started to stream down her cheeks, salt stinging the painful line on her cheek, and her mouth twisted into a hateful snarl. She cried on the floor for a long time, unwilling even to go on living. The only thing in the world she wanted had spurned her. Had rejected HER! And chosen a wild, savage bride instead. Why?! Wasn't she better? She had money and an honorable family. She was beautiful.She caught herself. She wasn't beautiful anymore. Her slender, delicate face which had been praised by all was now ruined forever by that accursed demon witch. She gingerly touched the gash on her face. Her fingers trembled when they came in contact with torn flesh. She was ruined. Her great beauty had been stolen from her. By the wolf girl. Yes, she stole everything. She had stolen Ashitaka. Ashitaka should have been HERS! Her dejected sobs soon became little chuckles as hateful thoughts ran through her head, even as she wished with all her soul that the roof of that house would come crashing down on her and end her life.  
"I won't be rejected," she murmured to herself. "He WILL be mine. He WILL be mine, even if I have to kill him. And his wolf wretch, too." Single-minded and crazed, she threw back her head and laughed insanely as the tears that stung the wound she'd received continued to pour down her cheeks.  
  
Miles away and a couple of hours later, a middle-aged, powerful man with jet-black hair in a topknot and more than a little weight around his gut knelt motionlessly before the foot of a grand throne. He knelt in his robes of state, sword on the wine-colored carpet at his side. His standard bearers were arrayed behind him, holding the pennants of his sigil. He tried to ignore the discomfort and dullness of his stance and concentrate on the words of the old man speaking from above.  
"The Rising Sun thanks you, Lord Asano," stated the aged emperor in a regal tone, "for the service you have done Us in quelling the uprisings against Us."  
"My armies are always Yours to command, Your Majesty," Asano replied. "All glory be Yours forever."  
"Your loyalty is very pleasing to Us," said the emperor, "and as reward you may have any land of your choice in this great empire. Tell Us, what is your decision?"  
Asano smiled, an expression that seemed filled with malevolent satisfaction. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.  
"If it pleases Your Majesty," he said, "I humbly ask of you the Tatara lands of the West."  
"Granted, Lord Asano," said the emperor. "Such loyalty deserves no less." He waved towards the parchment bearer on his left, and young man trotted towards him and fixed his eyes on the ground humbly. The emperor dipped a writing brush in the vial of ink in the bearer's outstretched hand and put the mandate into writing with graceful strokes. Another young servant approached the throne with newly melted sealing wax. The emperor folded up the document and sealed it with his emblem. The two boys retreated, and the emperor held out the sealed paper. Asano was granted permission to rise and retrieve it.  
"Many thanks, O gracious ruler," he said, bowing as he took it in both hands. "May You reign in glory forever." As Asano and his standard bearers were dismissed from the royal audience, Asano gripped the paper tightly, but carefully, between his fingers. At last Iron Town was his! His last attempt to conquer the Tatara lands had not gone so well. The battle had been well fought, but the accursed Lady Eboshi's men, or more correctly, women, had been too well armed. 'Soon,' he thought, 'that woman's iron will be mine. I will be the richest man in the whole empire, next for the emperor.' As soon as Asano and his men were out of the throne room and leaving the palace, he barked out instructions to his generals who were standing by. "Make preparations to march for the west!" he commanded. "Get going!" 


	8. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 8

Mononoke-hime Continuation  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
On a dull, chilly morning, two female sentries stood casually in the lookout post above Iron Town's main gate. There had been a light rain shower earlier before dawn, and the scent was heavy in the air. Droplets like clear beads of crystal still clung to the edge of the roof, and a fine, cool mist wafted through the vast, dark-green blanket of old forest. Ominous clouds still shadowed a sky that should have been blue and full of sunlight well over an hour ago. One of the sentries, a seamstress named Yohko, leaned over the side of the low wall and squinted at something far away in the distance. Her companion, Emi, glanced at her and cocked an eyebrow curiously.  
"Do you see something?" she asked, coming to stand next to the other woman and looking in the same direction.  
"Not sure," Yohko replied. "Maybe." She pointed to a gray- green smudge on the horizon. "Towards those hills," she said. "I just thought I saw."  
"Here, let me take a look," said Emi, picking up a small telescope in her hand. She pointed the glassy end towards the hills. After a moment of focusing the lens, her mouth dropped open.  
"There's a huge group of people coming. On foot and on horseback. I can just barely see movement through the trees."  
"Let me see," said Yohko, taking the telescope from her. "It looks like an army!" she announced after a few seconds. "They're still too far to tell who, though."  
"Do you think they're an enemy?"  
"It's too soon to be sure. If it hadn't rained earlier, we would have detected them long ago. We should go inform Lady Eboshi," Yohko finished. "She ought to see this."  
"I'll go tell her!" Emi volunteered. In an instant she was crawling down the ladder rungs towards the ground inside the massive wall. She quickly scuttled away in the direction of Lady Eboshi's house. Yohko watched her for a minute before turning her sights back on the approaching column of men.  
"So many," she whispered. She estimated at least a thousand of them, spread out there, all marching towards Iron Town. 'They'd outnumber us three to one,' she thought nervously. The army was still some time away, but the banners were becoming more visible now. Yohko focused on them through the telescope. She couldn't make out anything specific-but the red and white colors were familiar.  
"It's Asano!" she cried, nearly dropping the telescope.  
Wheeling about and setting the instrument back on its pegs on the wall behind her, Yohko snatched up the iron mallet and began beating furiously on the metal plate suspended on a pair of hooks. The clamor rang out in the still morning air, and soon the call was taken up by other watchmen in the towers along the wall top. Yohko remained at her post, keeping an eye on the approaching columns. Presently she heard footsteps on the ladder, and saw Lady Eboshi, splendid as ever in gold and scarlet silk, followed by Emi. Emi had picked up a rifle somewhere along the way and now shouldered it as she climbed into the lookout box. The grim, determined look on her face said plainly that she was ready to use it, if necessary. Lady Eboshi was unarmed. Her expression was utterly complacent. She walked to the low wall and simply stared at the crawling mass in the distance.  
"Yes, it's Asano," she proclaimed in a flat, neutral tone.  
"You can seem them that clearly, my Lady?" asked Yohko, awed.  
"No," Eboshi replied, full lips twisting into a grimace. Despite that, her voice was as cool and calm as the morning air. "But the annoying headache I feel coming on is just as good an indication." She turned to Emi and Yohko, voice crisp and commanding. "Continue watching his approach, girls, then let me know of his arrival when he comes."  
"Yes, ma'am," replied the two unsettled watchwomen in unison.  
With a manner as unconcerned as if there was nothing more out in the hills than a pair of deer, Eboshi gracefully descended the ladder and disappeared from sight. After a moment, the two women turned their attention back on the army far away.  
"I wonder what he wants this time?" said Emi, voicing the thoughts of the other.  
  
Within the hour, an army of fifteen hundred lay scattered around Iron Town in the hills and ringing the lake. Lord Asano, with a full escort of guards and flagmen, stood at the end of the wide land bridge that stretched over the water to the front gate of Iron Town. High above, he was disgusted to see, several women were in the guard's post, each with a long, formidable rifle over her shoulder. They scowled at him from their perch. "Women," Asano spat under his breath. He knew of the main fighting force of Iron Town, having waged a battle to conquer the place the year before. Women were predominant in numbers here-an entire village populated with brothel girls and other miscreants hand-picked by Lady Eboshi. To see women doing a man's work and giving him dirty looks as though he was a piece of animal dung was more than demeaning. 'I'll show them all a thing or two,' he thought to himself. 'Once I'm inside.'  
Finally, the huge, thick timbers swung up on their hinges, and a tall, elegant woman with a pale face and full red lips strode out to greet him. She was wearing a plain red cap on her head that tied under her chin, and a blue coat like a short cape. Dressed in dark-colored trousers and boots, she looked more militaristic than refined. She was quite beautiful, though, Asano noted thoughtfully. Perhaps it was just the way her face was set. Her hard blue eyes fixed themselves on Asano, and he stared back with just as much force. Two more of Eboshi's ilk accompanied her out the gates, both armed just like the watchwomen above. As she stepped out of the protection of the town, however, Eboshi waved them off, and they obeyed her command, if a bit reluctantly, retreating back inside the gate. Eboshi faced Asano alone, but she was far from unprotected. Numerous women and even a scattering of men were thronging the wall top, most armed with either rifles or bows. Asano knew they'd fire a torrent of iron balls and sharp-pointed arrows at the slightest sign of danger to their beloved Lady.  
"Welcome, Lord Asano," the woman said smoothly. Were it not for the steely look in her eyes and the decidedly hostile set of her mouth, Asano might have believed she was being gracious.  
"I bid you good morning, Lady Eboshi, Mistress of Iron Town," Asano responded. Inwardly, he smiled greedily. Mistress of Iron Town no longer! Still, he decided to play the game with her, exchanging word for word.  
"What brings you here to my land?" Eboshi inquired, with slight emphasis on "my," which Asano pretended not to notice.  
"Simply business of the emperor," he answered shortly.  
"And what business does the emperor have that involves Iron Town?" Lady Eboshi asked in a tight, but carefully concealed tone.  
Asano had been a warlord all his life. He was an expert at manipulation and treachery, having conquered miles of land all over the nation and seizing power from his rival lords through multiple battles, plots, and assassinations. Normally, usurping a woman on a seat of power would have been child's play. But this woman was Lady Eboshi. He knew her strengths too well. She would have been a mighty and formidable warlord, if she'd been born a man. But still, Asano was careful not to let her pretty face and feminine manner distract him or lull him into a sense of complacency. Lady Eboshi was a woman to be reckoned with.  
"The emperor has granted this town, and all the land around it, to my stewardship," he stated boldly, loud enough for the people on the battlements to hear. He unfolded a piece of parchment and showed it to her-the document signed by the emperor and stamped with his large royal seal. Eboshi took it and studied the elegantly stroked characters on the page for a few moments, then handed it back to him. She masked her emotions perfectly, but a hint of tension in her voice revealed to Asano all that he needed to know.  
"Impressive, for a piece of paper," she replied. "But it is just that. A piece of paper."  
"With the emperor's royal seal," Asano countered. "Which is his royal will and command."  
Eboshi's lips pursed thoughtfully for a moment. Asano enjoyed watching her struggle with the import of the decision she knew she would have to make. She could either obey the mandate and turn over the rich town to him, or she could refuse to appease him, and risk the wrath of the emperor and his armies. Either was a risky road. Asano relished the sense of satisfaction he felt right then. If only she would squirm. To see that would be all the more satisfying.  
Eboshi remained silent and unmoving as a statute, studying Asano, every now and then glancing down to the folded paper in the warlord's hand. Finally, she straightened regally and said, "And if I refuse the emperor's command?"  
Asano grinned. This had been what he was waiting for. She was pinned, helpless.  
"Then I have the emperor's permission to lay siege to your town. I have over 5,000 men accompanying me, only a portion of which are with me now.  
Lady Eboshi's reaction was only a slight narrowing of the eyes, but murmurs and whispers could be heard along the wall top as sentries and spectators caught the news.  
"5000? Impossible!"  
"He must have them concealed in the hills!"  
"Perhaps he is lying?"  
"It has to be a bluff!"  
"I assure you, I'm not lying," Asano said calmly to Eboshi as if it was she who had spoken. "Do I need to demonstrate my strength? You know how ruthless my armies were only this last year." He grinned. "I have several times the number I brought then with me now. And." He waved his hand flippantly, and a rustling noise sounded all around him, down the bridge, and to the other bank, like a wave. Every soldier with him uncovered blanket-wrapped rifles, each loaded and ready to fire in a heartbeat. Although he didn't give the signal to aim at Eboshi, every man and woman above stiffened and gasps rolled around the walltop. Just about every rifle was aimed at him now. He might have felt uncomfortable, but he did not allow his fears to eat away at him. Besides, they wouldn't fire without her command. All the same, he stepped closer to the leader of Iron Town, just in case one of her followers should get itchy fingers.  
Eboshi face clouded, and a visible twinge in her cheek developed. Asano used her reaction to propel his scheme even further.  
"The iron this region produces is rather spectacular. Useful for making all sorts of things." He indicated his rifle bearers around him. "Anyone can fire a gun, Eboshi. And anyone can buy one nowadays. Thanks to the metal produced here.  
"Come now, Lady Eboshi," he said reasonably. "We are both great leaders of men. War only leads to a loss of life and destruction and suffering on both sides. Think of your people. They are ill equipped to wage another war, while I have brought with me thousands of experienced, seasoned warriors. You have nothing to gain through resistance. It will only lead to bloodshed. I know that's not what you want. For the sake of your people, I hope you make the right decision." He grinned at her maliciously, delighting in the rush of adrenaline he always felt at a certain victory. Lady Eboshi nailed him with a hateful, poisonous stare for some time, then threw her gaze aside and growled,  
"Let them pass!"  
A chorus of protests resounded above on the wall top.  
"But my Lady!"  
"Surely you don't mean to."  
Eboshi wheeled on the people above her. "Do as I say!" she commanded. The women recoiled at the lion-like fierceness of her tone, but meekly did her bidding.  
Asano grinned widely as the crowd inside the gate parted, offering him his first view of the treasure he had long dreamt of claiming. 'At last,' he thought, 'Iron Town and all its wealth is mine. The emperor's a fool. He doesn't know just how rich this place is.' Asano turned and waved his arm at the troops waiting just on the other side of the short land bridge. Like a mass of ants shifting in teeming columns, they started to come across.  
Eboshi was standing beside the gate as still as a statue. Asano smiled at her condescendingly as he walked by.  
"You know," he said with an oily smile, "you may be a cripple, but you're still just as lovely as when I last saw you. You would make an excellent pretty for any man to own." His tone became mocking, but no less serious. "If you abdicate quietly without any resistance, I may find some use for you in my house. A servant perhaps. Or my own personal handmaiden." Asano quelled the urge to chuckle at the slow boil of anger and spite appearing on her pale, smooth features. Her hard eyes could have shot daggers at him. As thorny as she was, he liked this quality in a woman. It made her all the more alluring. "Yes, you would make a fine comfort woman."  
He almost didn't notice the slight twitch of her fingers under her coat. Realizing her intention just in time, Asano's hand lunged at her and grabbed the slender wrist, drawing it out slowly. Her hand held a small knife in it. No doubt she had it hidden in her clothes to use on him. He clucked at Eboshi like she was a child caught misbehaving. He plucked the blade out of her hand. Eboshi glared at him.  
The first of Asano's troops reached the massive town gate. He showed them the knife, holding it up in the air for all to see. "This woman has tried to disobey an imperial command from the emperor himself," he announced in a loud tone. He motioned to his soldiers. "Take her away." Gasps and talk began to rustle on the gate again. Asano called up to the spectators, "Any resistance will be met with brute force. By order of the emperor, Iron Town now belongs to me."  
As his soldiers marched into Iron Town with Lady Eboshi in their custody, Asano tossed the knife in his hand up into the air and caught it by the tip. Watching Eboshi, he fingered it absently. He'd keep the hawk's knife. A souvenir of his triumph on this day. 


	9. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 9

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Ashitaka searched unsuccessfully for San for an entire week. When she didn't want to be found, even by him, then not even his supernatural power could aid him. She must have fled to the far reaches of the forest or was at least evading him very cleverly. Through all elements and hours of the day he trekked through the wilderness trying to locate her, but to no avail. When Ashitaka finally and grudgingly made up his mind to wait a while for her to cool off before trying again, he returned to Iron Town, only to find that its leadership had dramatically changed while he'd been gone. He'd had a hard enough time just gaining entrance into the fortress- like village—it had taken almost an hour to convince the Asano's new sentries that he wasn't a spy—and even then, he'd been followed like a mouse being hunted by weasels up and down every street until the guards finally became bored and left him alone.  
Ashitaka arrived at his sister's house, which was much the same even after the events of the previous week. Kaya had been breathlessly relieved to see him at her door and quickly pulled him inside. Kenshin still shadowed her constantly. He seemed almost sulky. Ashitaka couldn't be sure. Wide-eyed, he listened to Kaya relate the tale of all that had happened while he was away.  
"Asano brought a letter from the emperor himself," she explained, "practically giving Iron Town to him!" She was bubbling with anger. Even though she was newly come to this place, she had already made several friends among the women and adopted their intense feminist patriotism. "He and his men are already pushing everyone around like we're just insects!" Her eyes flashed darkly. "It isn't right, Ashitaka! No one should be able to treat people like that! A ruler is supposed to help his people! He has no right! How could the emperor do this?"  
"The emperor is a man above men," came a cool quiet voice. Ashitaka turned and saw Lady Eboshi standing in the doorway between the front room and the hall. She looked as composed as he had ever seen her, in silk of deep purple shades. Her face did not look like the face of a woman who had been ousted from her position of authority in a matter of hours.  
"Eboshi," he breathed, scarcely able to find words.  
"The emperors of this land have always fancied themselves gods over men," Eboshi went on calmly, entering the room and kneeling with the three at the table in the center of the tatami mats. "They rarely step outside their palaces into the real world. Iron Town is nothing more than a jewel to be given away, in their eyes. Asano must have performed some favors for the emperor and has been rewarded with Iron Town."  
Kaya looked shocked. "That's not right!" she repeated fiercely. "What about the people here! They should have some say in the matter!"  
"That is how the situation stands."  
Kaya was about to continue voicing her opinion, but Ashitaka suddenly interrupted her.  
"Eboshi," he asked almost rudely, "why are you here?"  
Lady Eboshi gave a small smile that belied her present situation. "I have been usurped," she said as though it was amusing. "Your sister has graciously offered to let me stay in her home since Asano is currently living in mine."  
Ashitaka didn't speak. It was surprising to see a woman as indomitable as Lady Eboshi reduced to a refugee. She certainly didn't act like a refugee, though. Not in the slightest.  
"What are we going to do about this?" Kaya wondered aloud with a note of apprehension in her voice.  
Eboshi's eyes didn't so much as flicker towards her. Her gaze remained riveted on Ashitaka. Ashitaka felt like that blue-eyed look was almost tangible. That stare of determination and will that refused to be crushed. He'd often seen that light in San's eyes. Remembering her at that moment made his heart beat a little faster. She was still out there...somewhere. He had to find her again.  
"Ashitaka," Eboshi said, cool tone barging in on his thoughts, "I need your help."  
Ashitaka's eyes widened even more at that, and a slight gasp was heard from Kaya. Kenshin remained as stone-faced as always, but it was clear that that admission from Lady Eboshi's lips had never been heard by any ears before. Eboshi continued to stare at him with her iron gaze.  
"How could I be of any help to you?" Ashitaka asked curiously, stunned.  
"I need your advice." Eboshi's voice never faltered. She was a strong woman, stronger than perhaps anyone knew. "I trust you," she said. "There are very few human beings of whom I can say that." She hesitated for a moment. "And I am not sure what to do."  
Even though her words were calm and controlled, Ashitaka was unsettled by Eboshi's sudden request. One of the most powerful, intelligent, and capable women he had ever known was now asking for his help. He was completely bewildered.  
"How many men does Asano have with him at the moment?" he asked her.  
"1700. With more on the way," she answered. "Asano's claim about having extra mercenaries is true. The leader of a group of ruffians met with Asano earlier today to discuss payment for their services. How many there are hiding in the hills is still uncertain."  
Ashitaka felt like his head was reeling. Almost 2000 men. Both in the city and camped around it. And mercenaries in the hills. Asano had certainly come prepared this time. Ashitaka still remembered the battle for Iron Town the year before, when Asano had tried to overpower it. He had lost, in the end, thanks to the destructive rampage of the Great Forest Spirit, but now it seemed that would not be so lucky this time. What could they do?  
"Does Asano know you're here?" Ashitaka asked Eboshi on an impulse.  
To his dismay, Eboshi nodded. "He knows, but so far he has left me alone," she said. Her tone hardened. "As far as he is concerned I am a crippled woman who no longer has any power is no threat to him. A critical mistake that I mean to make him pay for dearly."  
"I will do everything in my power to help you take back Iron Town, Eboshi," Ashitaka said frankly. "Although it may take some time to come up with a plan."  
"We have all the time in the world," Eboshi said nonchalantly, "although the sooner we act, the better." She grinned, almost devilishly. "I do not want Asano getting too comfortable in my home."  
Ashitaka nodded in agreement. He turned to Kaya. "Kaya, go to Toki's house and go with her to get some of the women who were in charge of Iron Town during Asano's last siege. They may be able to help us formulate some kind of plan. Oh, and get Gonza as well. He may be of some help to us, too. Make sure you don't arouse suspicion when you come back. It will be best to have everyone arrive separately."  
"Yes, Ashitaka," Kaya responded obediently, getting to her feet. She darted to the door, Kenshin only a step behind her. Ashitaka stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
"Leave your sword here," he told the samurai. Kenshin grimaced, but nodded and unbelted his weapon, handing it to Ashitaka. He knew as well as Ashitaka did that carrying a sword around Iron Town now might cause a problem with its new overlords. "Watch over Kaya," Ashitaka told the young man. Kenshin gave him a brief smile and another nod. Ashitaka let go of his grip on the other man's shoulder, and Kenshin quickly stepped outside, hurrying after Kaya.  
"Those two go well together," Eboshi commented as Ashitaka shut the door. Ashitaka looked surprised for a moment but didn't say anything. Kaya was not the one he was worried about. San was out in the forest, probably still angry. At him? Perhaps. He wanted to go to her. To make things right again. But now just wasn't the best time. "Until the others return," he told Eboshi, "we need to start planning." He sat on a floor cushion across from her. "Now," he began, "tell me everything you know about Asano."  
  
Over the next few days, Iron Town changed as drastically as if a mudslide had blown through, destroying everything that was in its path. Lord Asano's troops poured into Iron Town until it was nearly bursting at the seams. Soldier's tents and cook fires littered nearly every available foot of space inside and outside the walls. Some of the residents of Iron Town were forced to accept Asano's men into their homes and feed them with their food. That was nothing compared to Asano's next actions though. Even taking in mercenaries and rough soldiers was only a light burden in comparison. When the soldiers all retreated into the taverns at night, the streets roiled with talk—so long as it was out of earshot of Asano and his cohorts.  
"Taxes?!" cried Toki as she pumped the massive forge bellows with her leg. She tightened her hands on the rope hold until her knuckles were white, but she didn't lose the steady rhythm of working the massive bellows. The sweating faces of all the women with her must have mirrored her own. Toki knew her own expression was outraged and shocked. "We've never had to pay taxes before!" she exclaimed indignantly. "Not to anybody!"  
A fat-faced forge woman, Ayame by name, shook her head. "Asano announced it this morning," she said despondently.  
"How much?"  
"Half."  
"Half?!" cried Toki, in unison with at least three other girls. They continued pumping the bellows, pumping life into the enormous forge that gave Iron Town its name.  
"That's ridiculous!"  
"It's unheard of!"  
"That's so much!"  
Ayame eyed them all sadly. "Asano has to pay his men somehow. They wouldn't be his watchdogs day and night if they weren't paid."  
"Asano would just use it to sit on his fat behind all day, drinking wine and calling himself Lord of Iron Town," another woman spat.  
"Lady Eboshi never taxed us!" another one shouted over the heavy breathing of the bellows.  
"What does Lady Eboshi say?" one of the forge women called to Toki, who let go of the support rope with one hand to wipe the pouring sweat off her forehead. She immediately went back to the rhythm and pushed along with the other girls.  
"Switch," she ordered. All of the women, without letting go of their ropes, changed legs and began pumping with the other one. Toki's leg was feeling a little like pudding. Whether it was because of the long shift or at this disconcerting news she couldn't tell. "Eboshi hasn't said anything to me since our last meeting two days ago. No doubt she knows, though."  
"But Toki!" a young forge woman with a pink kimono and head of short hair whimpered, "we can't afford to give Asano half of everything we have! We'll have to keep the forge running twice as hard to make up the difference!"  
"Not just the forge," added Ayame grimly. Her face was dark and grim. Toki regarded her thoughtfully.  
"What's the matter, Ayame?" she asked.  
"Asano's not just getting fatter off our taxes," Ayame explained. She looked Toki in the eye. "He's not just getting it from the forge either."  
"What are you getting at?"  
"He's logging the mountains around Iron Town as well."  
Toki felt her body stiffen for an instant. Ayame was looking at her with those dark, set eyes that said much more than she had heard.  
"What's so bad about that?" asked the pink-kimonoed forge worker, glancing from one woman to the other. She must have sensed the sudden tension in the air.  
"Asano is cutting down the trees around Iron Town, Shizuka," Toki said to her. She felt a cold worm of unease beginning to grow in her stomach. "There is one person who will not stand that. Think about who that person is."  
There was a momentary quiet as Shizuka and the other women tried to puzzle that out. One of them, an older woman with graying hair who pumped the bellows directly across from Toki spoke up, fear in her aging eyes.  
"Princess Mononoke!"  
As that name left her lips, the other women's eyes went wide with fright. Most of them were still as scared as children of the legendary wolf princess who had haunted Iron Town for so many months. The wolf princess who would be enraged at the very thought of her trees being cut down.  
"He's mad!" Shizuka lamented.  
Toki nodded solemnly. "I don't think he can be persuaded to stop. Before long, she will notice."  
"And when she does..." Ayame put in.  
"The Princess of the Wolf Gods will return. This time for blood." 


	10. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 10

Mononoke-hime Continuation  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
San had scaled the walls of Iron Town before, on raids and once when she had attempted to kill Lady Eboshi the previous year. The tall logs of the town's outer wall that had once been mighty, towering trees were pierced easily with her long knives that she used to pull herself up the lengths of the timbers. The night was in full, and only the moon in its first quarter gave any light that might betray her. Beneath the cover of her silvery wolf fur cape and clay domen mask, San crept unnoticed up the perimeter wall, biting into the soft wood with the daggers in each of her hands.  
Once she made it to the top of the wall, she balanced herself easily between the two pointed ends of the logs with her knees and peered down. She was right at the place she had wanted to be. Ashitaka's hut was visible down below. She could see Yakkuru standing by the side of the corral, great-horned head hanging down, sleeping. The windows of Ashitaka's house were all dark. He would probably be asleep now, too.  
Without further thought, San launched herself easily into the air, dropping the thirty or so feet to the ground like it was just a small distance. She hit the dirt with a light thud; her strong leg muscles absorbed the impact without too much pain. Sheathing her twin daggers, San removed her mask and wolf pelt, then crouched down, moving silently towards Ashitaka's hut like a wraith in the night. Yakkuru must have smelled her, for he opened his eyes and turned his head to regard her with soft, sleepy eyes. San froze and stared at him, frowning. After a moment Yakkuru simply ignored her and went back to sleep. There was no reason for him to be alarmed by her. San breathed a sigh of relief and continued towards Ashitaka's house.  
  
Ashitaka was locked in an unpleasant dream. He was standing precariously on the edge of the roof of Iron Town's great forge, looking down at the buildings and people below. The colors were dull, as though the sun wasn't shining like it should. Details were hard to see. Ashitaka was not alone, though. Kaya was up there with him, Kenshin at her back. She was tugging on Ashitaka's shirtsleeves and mouthing words that didn't reach his ears. She was not the only one. Toki and Lady Eboshi were pulling on his other arm, each trying to speak to him, drawing him in another direction. And just a few feet away from them, Lord Asano was unsheathing his sword. His expression was a mix of victory and hatred. He pointed the gleaming blade at Ashitaka and started to advance. Ashitaka saw the sword and tried to pull free of the women who were yanking him in two opposite directions. They didn't seem to see Asano or his oncoming sword and continued fighting over him. Asano noticed them no more than they saw him. He only had eyes for Ashitaka. Ashitaka turned his head to look behind him, and gasped. San was standing nearby, garbed in her simple dress of purple and white. Her blue eyes were like ice that froze him to the core. A long stone knife was in her hand. She raised it and started to walk towards him. "San!" he called out to her. "I've been looking for you!" He glanced at the women holding on to him, trying to pull him away from San. "Let go of me!" he told them angrily. They merely tightened their hold on him. Asano was still coming, sword out and ready to take his life. Ashitaka turned his eyes back to San. She was now just a few paces in front of him. She stretched out her arm until the point of her knife was just barely touching his neck. Ashitaka didn't understand. Why? Why was she acting like this? Did she want to kill him? He remembered Asano and whipped his head around. Asano was within easy reach now, with his sword out. Ashitaka watched helplessly as Asano raised it, ready to bring it down with full force on his body. Ashitaka darted his eyes to Kaya, Eboshi, and Toki, who were still holding on to him, totally unaware of Asano's presence. They were still trying to pull him apart, oblivious to each other. "Let go of me!" Ashitaka snapped at them. Asano's sword came down on him. "Ah!" Ashitaka felt like a jolt of energy had suddenly rocketed through his body, like he'd been thrown into a lake of ice-cold water. He jerked awake, only to find that he was trapped. Something was pinning his shoulders down. Mind still halfway in the dream, he cried, "Let go of me!" "Let go of you?" a woman's voice replied from the darkness. "I heard you saying that in your sleep." The voice sounded amused. "You've never asked me to let go before. Especially not at night." "San?" Ashitaka said disbelievingly. His eyes were still trying to adjust to the darkness. It was taking a few moments, but already he could make out her shape in the dark shadows. She was crouching over him, hands on his shoulders, like a prowling mountain lion with a mouse under its paws. Not that he was any mouse, he thought wryly. He surprised her by seizing her arms around the wrists and wresting her from her grip. He heard the wolf princess squeak indignantly as brought her tumbling down beside him. Before San could make another move he was the one pinning her down, gently but firmly. "I've been looking for you for days!" he whispered loudly. He didn't quite know why he was whispering to her in his own house, but it seemed unimportant. He was torn between wanting to hold her as tightly as he could and wanting to shake her by the scruff of the neck for running off. She squirmed in his grasp, but he didn't ease up his hold on her one bit. "Why have you been avoiding me?" San's reply was sharp and simple. "I was angry!" she said. "I told you that being around humans wasn't a good idea!" Ashitaka sighed wearily. "It was all going so well," he said, mostly to himself. He addressed San. "Just what happened, exactly? What made you fight with that girl in the middle of the night?" He couldn't see her face very clearly, but Ashitaka was sure she was scowling, just by the sound of her reply. "That dark-haired weasel wanted to take you away from me! She threatened to! I couldn't let her walk away unpunished." Ashitaka was only mildly surprised. He had learned himself that Takiko was infatuated with him. The memory of his last encounter with her was all too fresh in his mind. "San, I..." He tried to puzzle out what he would say to her. He didn't want to infuriate her again. "I don't blame you for what you did." He wasn't quite sure what else to say. San's motives and justifications were different from anyone else's. He'd come to accept that. "Still, it was all going so well." San was quiet for a moment. At least she had stopped trying to fight him. "Would you rather I was one of those painted dolls to be pampered and sheltered? Act as if I might break into pieces at any moment like an icicle?" From her tone, it was difficult to tell if she was being sarcastic or serious. "Of course not," Ashitaka said. He felt like grinning. He felt completely idiotic. Perhaps it had been foolish to try and put San into that kind of situation. She wasn't a delicate doll to be pampered. She wasn't made of glass. She was strong, and beautiful, and courageous, and...and so many other things. Now he truly felt like a fool. "I love you more than I could a porcelain doll," he said softly. And he did. He only realized now just how much he loved her as she was. He very much wanted to kiss her right then, so he did. San didn't protest, but received his affections gratefully. She was relieved to finally make him see how she felt. And she had missed him. When he kissed her, she felt all her anger melt away; he finally let go of the vice-like grip he had on her wrists. San embraced him lovingly, forgiving him completely. A few minutes of tenderness, though, and San recalled her other reason for being there. Gently she pushed Ashitaka away, full of regret. "What's the matter?" he wondered. San didn't answer immediately. "Ashitaka," she said, "what has been going on in this place over the last few days?" "Why do you ask that?" "What's been going on?" San repeated. She heard him sigh heavily, which did little to reassure her. "A warlord from a faraway land has come and taken over. Eboshi is no longer in power. He's oppressing the people, making them pay all kind of taxes and work for him and his soldiers." He knew why she had asked. He knew where this was going. "The Tatarans have very rich lands," he continued. "Not just because of the ore under the mountains. He's cutting down the trees as well." He sat up. San's breathing was normal and steady, but he already knew that inside she was boiling. The few moments of peace hadn't lasted long. They'd been through this before, when Eboshi had invaded San's forest in the past. Many of the great trees had fallen and died, and parts of the mountain were made bald and ugly. The Great Forest Spirit had given his life to bring them back. "San," he said quietly, speaking her name. She made no reply. "San, please talk to me," Ashitaka pleaded. "You know how I feel," she said plainly. "Yes, I do." "I won't let it happen, Ashitaka. Not again." "I know." "Will you help me?" The question didn't exactly throw him off guard. But that still didn't prepare Ashitaka with an answer. "I...I'm trying," he finally told her after a long moment's thought. "Lady Eboshi and the Tatarans and I are trying to find a way to get Asano to leave, with as little conflict as possible." "Will you help me to protect these mountains? Will you help me to drive them out?" Ashitaka felt as trapped as a rabbit in a snare. He was afraid it would come to this. San was always a forceful person. Raised by wolves, she'd lived a life full of fighting—resorting to violence to protect what she cared about. As she had done when Takiko confronted her. Ashitaka wanted a peaceful way to settle everything. That wasn't the only problem, though. He couldn't help Eboshi regain control over Iron Town if he was assisting San in ridding the forest of its violators. There had to be a way to do both, but Ashitaka just couldn't see it yet. "San...I...I just don't know if I can," he said slowly, warily. He quickly added, "If Eboshi and I can get rid of Asano, though, it will save the forest as well. It may take some time." "How much time?" San demanded. "I don't know," Ashitaka answered honestly. "I'm going to try to talk with him. To reason with him. Maybe I can get him to stop logging the forest." "Talk won't work," San argued hotly. "They have to be driven out. They have to be fought. Humans won't listen to talk." "We still have to try, San." "Ashitaka," San asked him frankly, "are you going to help me or not?" Ashitaka hesitated. "San, I..." San immediately made an exasperated noise and pushed herself up. She hopped down from his bed lightly and started crossing the floor. Ashitaka couldn't see well, but he heard her footsteps heading towards the window. "San, wait!" There was no answer. By the time Ashitaka was on his feet, he heard the sound of the window slamming shut, accompanied by the tinkle of glass breaking. She'd already escaped. He was alone. Ashitaka bit back an oath and sat back down on his bed. There was no use going after her at the moment. Even if he did manage to catch up to her, what would he do? What would he say? San was obviously furious with him for not helping her. He didn't really blame her. "I have to try, though, San," he said to his dark, empty room. He sighed tiredly and collapsed back on his mattress. He would talk to Eboshi again tomorrow, and they would both confront Asano. Time was running short, whatever Eboshi said. She was a patient woman, but Ashitaka knew that this whole business had to be resolved before San's fury attracted Asano's attention. Things would just get worse, then. 'They're already pretty bad now,' he thought to himself. He gave a dry chuckle and said aloud, "San won't be the only one driven to violence if things get any worse." 


	11. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 11

Mononoke-hime Continuation  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
San propelled herself up the tall timber wall so fast she was practically flying. The daggers in her hands made quick, choppy thunk thunk noises as she raced up the rough columns. Her thoughts were flying as fast as she was. She was angry that Ashitaka wouldn't help her to protect the forest she loved and treasured so much, and more than a little hurt. 'Ashitaka!' she shouted at him in her mind as she cleared the pointed tops of the towering logs. A huge, white wolf, glowing like a phantom in the weak moonlight, was waiting for her down below on the other side. One of her brothers. San paused at the top and looked down at him, then leapt away from the wooden wall.  
Once on the ground, she trotted over to meet the wolf. He immediately sensed her displeasure and asked as she climbed onto his back, "It did not go well?"  
"No," San replied hotly. Her brother did not inquired further and started to lope towards the dark, black forest ahead of them, San clutching the fur on the back of his neck tightly. Only the sound of padding paw steps remained as they merged with the night.  
Back in San's cave, the two of them met with her other wolf brother, who was waiting for them on the high hilltop. He nuzzled San's hand affectionately while she told the two wolves of her meeting with Ashitaka.  
"What will you do?" one of them growled in a deep rumble.  
San took off her domen mask and cape and stared at the hard, red-and- gray clay. The demonic-looking eyeholes stared back at her fiercely, but they seemed to be asking her the same question. And offering the answer. San's face remained rigid as she donned the mask again, sliding it up so that it rested on top of her head.  
"I'm going to fight," she said to her wolf brothers with a voice full of determination. "It is my responsibility to protect this forest and these mountains. I will not let them be destroyed again. I am the guardian of this realm. Princess of the spirits of beasts, ghouls, and ancient gods." Her voice cracked a bit. "I will fight the humans alone if I have to and protect this place. No one else will."  
One of the wolves, the one who had accompanied her back from Iron Town, nudged her side with his long muzzle. "You will not go alone," he reassured her. "You are our sister. We will ride into battle with you."  
"Yes," the other wolf agreed. "There are only the three of us, but we are gods. We are not afraid to die. We will go into battle together."  
San realized that there were hot tears in her eyes. She scrubbed them away with a hand and embraced her two wolf brothers around their wide, furry necks. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. "We will go together," she said, mostly for herself. "We will protect this forest."  
  
The pale, glowing moon was just beginning to sink behind the mountains of the west as San and her white brothers came to one of the several lumber mills that now stuck up out of the ground in the middle of her forest. From the camouflage of the blackish-green bushes and shrubs that covered the top of a high hill, the watchers observed their quarry in the night. San and her guardians didn't need their keen sense of sight, smell, and hearing to tell that there were humans down below. There were small campfires dotting the area like bright pinpoints, as well as the strong smells of wood smoke and the sound of human voices, but San could feel a supernatural tingle—like her skin was crawling—that told her the forest was being invaded. She heard a soft, low growl rumbling in one of her wolf brothers' throats. San felt the urge to growl right along with him, but instead she hefted her long, stone-headed spear and pulled the hard, thick domen mask over her face. The sight of the phantom princess with the deadly spear and the demonic face had struck fear into the heart of every human who had looked on her in his last moments of life. Tonight she would send a few more to meet their Creator.  
"Let's go," she said in a muted tone. In silence the three avengers snuck down to the mill.  
  
"...an' then I realized it wasn't 'er, it was 'er mother," one of the mill workers, a well-built, dark complexioned man by the name of Kouya said.  
"That must have been horrible!" his lighter companion exclaimed. Kouya nodded and swirled his sake around in its steel cup. The cup had belonged to some family in Iron Town. Kouya had taken the liberty of keeping it after he quartered in the house. These people had iron and steel enough to buy a whole prefecture, but they hardly seemed to notice. Well, Kouya could think of a few ways to put all this richness to good use.  
One of the men sitting across from him by the fire, Shounichi, waved a jug of sake at him drunkenly, speech slurred.  
"I think yer just a goat-kissin' liar," he mumbled incoherently. His slander was abruptly halted when Kouya's steel cup smacked him in the face, sloshing sake all over him and the two or three people next to him.  
"Shut up, ya lousy pig!" Kouya shouted hotly. Shounichi fell backward off the log he was sitting on and lay there on the ground, unconscious.  
"Is 'e dead?" one of his companions asked.  
"I dunno. Why don't you poke 'im?"  
"I don't wanna poke him! You poke 'im!"  
The first man jabbed at Shounichi with his forefinger. The unconscious man groaned but didn't stir.  
"Yep, 'e's still alive," he announced.  
Kouya didn't care. He'd had enough of all these imbeciles. He was feeling tired, and more than a little drunk. He wiggled his fingers and realized he didn't have his cup of alcohol anymore. He couldn't remember what had happened to it, but he felt mad all the same.  
"I'm gonna just go to bed," Kouya said, swaying unsteadily to his feet. He stomped away from the campfire towards the mill and the tents erected around it. He had just pulled back the front flap on his when he heard an anguished squeal like a hog in its last moments before being butchered. Suddenly more deep-voiced screams and wails rang out in the night air, coming from the direction of the fire. Kouya, now quite alert despite his sake-induced stupor, jumped and stared. His fellow mill workers were out of sight. Grabbing his rifle, another gift from the people of Iron Town, out of his tent, he started back towards the fire.  
Peering around one of the thick beams that supported the roof of the lumber mill, he lifted his rifle and looked towards the place where he had been swapping stories with his friends just minutes earlier. When his eyes fell on the forms of his friends scattered around on the ground next to the indifferent fire, he made a gasping, choking sound. They were cut open and bleeding, swimming motionlessly in pools of dark liquid. The dirt was turned up here and there, wildly, as though they had scrambled to get away from their attacker, but had not made it. Kouya felt his stomach heave—all sleepiness fled in the wake of adrenaline--and he clasped a hand to his mouth, sick. They were all dead. Dead. Every one of them. Their terror- widened eyes stared upwards, frozen unblinkingly.  
Kouya turned to flee, then stopped and stared again. Someone had set fire to the tents. They had caught easily and were now blazing bonfires. The flames were spreading—soon they would jump to the lumber mill. Kouya stared in astonishment. So quickly! The attack had come so quickly! He darted his eyes left and right, but could see no sign of any attackers. There had to have been five or ten of them at least...  
Panic filling his blood, he picked up his feet and started to run again. He didn't even get two steps before a dark shadow dropped down in front of him, monstrous looking against the bright light of the spreading fire.  
Kouya brought his rifle up to aim, but the creature—it looked like a half-human beast—knocked it right out of his hands with a swing of its long staff. The rifle spun several feet away to land with a dull thud in a pile of wood shavings and saw dust. The other end of the attacker's staff swept out under his feet, catching Kouya behind the ankles. He went down on his back, hard. Kouya stared up with utter despair at the atrocious monster that now had its staff—when he felt a long, sharp point against his throat he realized it was a spear—poised over him, ready to strike. He looked up fearfully at the creature.  
The creature, silhouetted against the blazing orange and black background, stared down at him. Kouya saw that it had the body of a young woman, and was clothed in a short dress and a wolf's hide. Its face was red and gray, with gaping holes where eyes should be. The eyeholes looked dead and empty, and sent uncontrollable shivers through Kouya's entire body. Then the monster reached up to its face with its free hand and pushed it back. A mask, Kouya was shocked—and relieved--to discover. He saw the hard, fierce features of a young girl with short brown hair gazing down at him. A mere slip of a girl? She had done this? Was she alone? Impossible!  
Kouya realized, as the girl-monster's spear point dug into his neck, that she was talking to him over the roar of the flames. The girl seemed to be on fire. It surrounded her, seemed to come from her eyes mouth. It reflected off of her pale spearhead.  
"Get out," the girl said. "I've spared you as a messenger. Go and tell your people to get out of my forest, or I will bring the wrath of the gods and of the forest down on you." Her eyes blazed. "Return to these woods, and I will put a spear through your back! Give that message to your leader." Suddenly the spear point released his throat, and Kouya began to breath a little easier. The wolf-girl glared at him for a few moments more before donning her demonic mask and skirted away. Through the dazzling flames, Kouya thought he saw two white wolves whisk down the slope to her, and she leaped onto the back of one, riding away like a ghost from an ancient tale. In mere seconds, she was gone.  
He lay there, shaking like a leaf, unaware of the blistering heat that was upon him. When the growing flames began to lick his shoes, though, he jumped to his feet like he'd been plunged into a bucket of icy water. He whirled around, scared and alone, terrified that the monster would return. With a strangled, mewling cry, he raced away on wobbly feet to find a horse to get him out of that hellish place. 


	12. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 12

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Asano, bulk covered in royal blue and purple silk and enjoying a cup of expensive wine, stood admiring his realm from a high balcony of Lady Eboshi's fine house. The air was cool in the evening twilight, and the fragrant scents of lilies and roses floated up from the garden below. Asano leaned lazily against the banister and drank it in. It was all his.  
He'd only been master of Iron Town for a few days, barely even a week, but he already had his foot firmly pressed against the throats of these simple, unsophisticated people. The large number of soldiers and mercenaries that followed him saw that it was kept there. Iron Town was indeed more prosperous than he had ever before dreamed. He was now living a life of ridiculous luxury he'd never thought possible, far beyond what he had ever had before as a warlord. Eboshi had been a fool not to take advantage of all this. Asano had already sent for more men to come to him. A precious jewel like Iron Town needed protecting. Asano, cautious as always, was already planning and preparing to resist any invaders who might try to take from him what was now rightfully his. He could think of a dozen of his old enemies that would jump at the chance to grab his new empire, as well as what he'd left behind under the jurisdiction of his loyal lieutenants.  
Despite his present situation, there was another problem that annoyed him as well, like a splinter in his thumb--a mild pain that left untreated would fester and become a larger issue. He'd received reports of wild guerrillas roaming the hills outside Iron Town, terrorizing his mills and mining operations. In just the last day, these vagabonds had attacked three sites—two lumber processors and a mining camp. Asano could hardly believe it, but the three survivors—there was only one from each skirmish left alive—all claimed that their attacker had worked alone. Which was rather incredulous, given the damage they'd wreaked. The stories varied a bit. One mill worker claimed she was a demon in disguise. Another said she was half-wolf, half-human. One of the ancient gods of nature, said to have once wandered the green mountains of this land before Eboshi all but wiped them out. Asano dismissed most of it as mere babble, but all three witnesses agreed that they had seen a girl's face—full of hatred and pride and adorned with dagger-shaped markings the color of blood. Asano knew he needed to deal with this terrorist—and the rest of them as well--and quickly. The temporary disruption of a few mills and mines, the loss of a few workers, he could overlook. But this girl had done more than just slow up the flow of money to his hand. She threatened his power. Asano's thoughts boiled furiously. She was only a wild, feral girl, but if he didn't act now and retaliate—show that he would not be mocked—that foot he needed in place might slip. The girl needed to be taken care of, and now. Cut off a snake's head, and the body died. When he was finished with this wild wolf girl, her followers would beg on their bellies for his forgiveness.  
"My Lord, we've brought one of the townspeople up to see you, as you ordered," announced one of his guards, sticking his head in the room and interrupting Asano's musings. Asano nodded his permission and four heavily built, rifle-bearing men entered, a young woman in their midst. She didn't appear to be much older than a teenager. She was very pretty, Asano saw, despite her mediocre clothing and the dirty looks she fired at her escorts.  
"You may leave," Asano told the guards. The men promptly obeyed and departed back to their post outside his chamber door.  
Asano didn't bother to ask for the young woman's name. Such things were beneath his notice. He regarded her without speaking for several minutes. The woman just stood there, although her defiance was beginning to erode into uncertainty. Asano let her stand and stared at her unblinkingly. Uncertainty was another tool he liked to use when handling people.  
Once the silence had been stretched to a climax, Asano broke it.  
"You've heard about a savage little girl who's been running amuck outside town, haven't you? Attacking the lumber yards and coal mines?"  
The townswoman gave him a slanted stare. "Yes," she answered slowly, reluctantly.  
"What can you tell me about her?" Asano produced a silver coin in his hand and rolled it over his finger idly. Seeing the hungry way she stared at the token, he smiled smoothly and went on. "You will be rewarded for your cooperation."  
For the next few minutes, the woman's mouth was a floodgate that had burst open. She related a tale of a year past—a story of a young man who came to the Tatara lands from the east and saved Iron Town from the wrath of a beheaded god. Lord Asano took most of it as some part of a crazy fantasy, but he noted with interest the roles of Lady Eboshi and the foreign prince Ashitaka. He became even more interested when the woman touched upon the subject of the wild girl.  
"Princess Mononoke?" he inquired curiously, still playing with the coin.  
"Yes, that's what she's called." The woman made a disgusted face. "She's a horrible creature m'Lord. She lives in the forests and has been a nuisance to Iron Town for years. She even tried to murder Lady Eboshi!"  
Asano dismissed that. He already knew Eboshi's skill at making enemies. "Tell me more about this girl," he said. "She is from this town?"  
The woman faltered. "Uh, no. She's not. Nobody's really sure where she came from." Her face became resolutely angry. "But she most definitely is not one of us!"  
Asano quirked an eyebrow. That made things more difficult, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be remedied. Already he had a plan of action. He would not allow this insubordination to go unpunished. He would not show even a hint of weakness.  
"Guards!" he shouted abruptly, making the woman jump in surprise. Maybe she thought he was summoning them in for her. Asano enjoyed the nervous look on her face. Within seconds his entourage of personal bodyguards entered his chamber and stood at attention, awaiting their orders. Asano rose from his plump cushions and addressed them sternly.  
"Carry the message to the people of Iron Town that their taxes are to be raised," he commanded. The woman made a strange, frog-like sound as she gaped at him, but he ignored her. "Until this wild girl is apprehended, the taxes will be increased. It is the fault of the Tatarans that she has been allowed to run around disrupting the industry for this long." He glanced at the townswoman with a sly smile. "However, there will be a reward of ten silver pieces if she is caught or killed. Yes, that will do. I will not allow anyone in my land to challenge me." Still looking at the woman, he said, "That will show every man, woman, and child that I will not tolerate disobedience in my domain." He turned to his guards and selected two of them by pointing at them. "You and you. Deliver this mandate to the people." The two sturdy men bowed deeply and hurried out on their master's errand.  
Asano turned again to the townswoman whose name he still didn't know. "Your information has earned you your reward." He flipped the silver coin in his hands, and her eyes sparkled. The coin shot into the air with a flick of Asano's thumb and forefinger, glittering prettily. The eager townswoman stretched out her hand to catch it, but Asano deftly snatched it out of the air before her fingers closed around it. For the next few moments, the woman stood there, staring at him, mouth agape. Asano smiled at her, self-satisfied.  
"Bu...but...you said—"  
"I said you'd be rewarded," Asano replied. "But your service isn't up yet." Leaving the woman with her mouth hanging wide open, he turned on his heel and walked away. To his remaining guards he said, "Have a bath and some suitable clothing prepared for this young lady by the time I return. She is to be one of my personal handmaidens for a while." With those orders given, he strolled out the door, leaving his audience behind.  
  
Ashitaka ran Yakkuru at a gallop. The sun had sunk into the west and the sky was quickly turning into a shade of deep night blue, studded with a few faint stars. Even still, Ashitaka didn't allow his mount to slow down or balk. The spread of the shadows masked the trail, but he trusted the elk to know the way. Ashitaka could see very little. He relied on his innate ability to locate San to get him through the night forest, as well as a little luck. And desperation.  
The announcement of higher taxes had come as an intolerable shock to the Tatarans. Ashitaka had been in that smothering crowd when the dictate was read. While the townspeople rolled and foamed about it, though, Ashitaka went immediately to his house and mounted Yakkuru, not even bothering to saddle him. Like an arrow he raced out of Iron Town, whizzing past the gatemen before they could halt him, and into the night-shrouded hills.  
The sound of Yakkuru's stomping hoof beats drummed in Ashitaka's ears. He felt like panting like his tiring steed, but urged the animal to go faster. He had to find San. He had to.  
Ashitaka hadn't seen or heard from her since the night she'd come to him in his house. She'd left in a wordless, outraged flurry before he could explain things to her. When Ashitaka first heard of the attacks around Iron Town, he immediately knew that San was involved. He knew for himself she had done it not just because she was angry with him, but even more at what Asano's men were doing to her sanctuary. She was, to her mind, doing justice in taking out her vengeance. Was she also trying to lash out at him in some way? Ashitaka turned Yakkuru into the trees and was forced to take the next part of the journey at a slower pace. The footing here was much more precarious, and the trees barred the way everywhere, like sentinels guarding the gates of the forest. But still, that inward sense tugged his heart and mind in her direction. Ashitaka trusted to it and guided Yakkuru with the light pressure of his feet against the animal's flanks. By the time the moon was directly overhead, Ashitaka had already sighted San's hideout. There was a golden glow coming from the top of the high ridge, like a signal. Ashitaka left Yakkuru at the base of the slope and clambered up the steep, grass-covered ground to the cave. Breathing heavily at the end of the climb, he peered in. "Ashitaka," San said neutrally. She was skinning some rabbits next to the fire, discarding the pelts in a pile and the bodies on a platter made of broad leaves. "Why are you here?" She didn't look up at him even once. Ashitaka felt slightly hurt, although he understood her coolness. "I was worried about you," he said between breaths. He immediately brought up the issue that had been on his mind for the past day. "Why did you attack those mills, San?" San continued peeling the fur off of the rabbits with the short blade in her hand. "You of all people should know," she said, unconcerned. "I won't allow anything like that to happen in my forest. Never again." Ashitaka nodded. "I know you don't like it, San, but now you have all of Iron Town against you. You can't keep doing this!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Ashitaka had to jerk back to avoid being impaled by San's skinning knife. The short blade flew from San's fingers to clatter against the stony cave wall. She was looking at him furiously. "I don't need you!" she shouted at him. Her eyes were glistening with something like tears, unless Ashitaka's eyes missed their guess. "I was just fine on my own, until you came along!" Her accusations struck home. Ashitaka went numb. He looked at her wonderingly, blue eyes full of hurt, but she seemed not to notice. "Go away!" she screamed at him heatedly. "Go back to the humans! You love them more than you love me anyway!" "That isn't true!" Ashitaka said, careful to keep his temper calm and reasonable. "I want to help you, San, but this isn't the way! I still believe that we can find a peaceful solution to all of this! I'm not going to fight! I am sorry that all of this is happening, but violence will only make things worse!" San glared at him hotly before wrenching her eyes away to stare at the rough floor. Reaching a hand to her breast she touched the bluish-purple crystal that hung on the cord around her neck. With a quick pull she yanked it off. When she looked at Ashitaka next, she was walking towards him reluctantly as if every step was sucked deep in mud. She took Ashitaka's hand and dropped the necklace in it, folding his fingers over it. The look she gave him then made Ashitaka want to cry out. It was like venom. "Get out," she breathed in a low tone, eyes flashing dangerously. "Get out." Her next words stabbed Ashitaka's heart. He felt as if that crystal dagger had been plunged into his chest and twisted. "Don't ever come back, Ashitaka. If you do, I'll.........I'll kill you." 


	13. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 13

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Eboshi glanced sideways every now and then at the blue-clad youth walking beside her. His face was clearly troubled, and his eyes seemed listless. Eboshi wasn't surprised. These were dark times for Iron Town. They traveled down the hallways of the house she had used before Asano had moved into it. Besides studying Ashitaka's morose expression, she cast her eyes upon the re-furnished rooms of her house. The lavish, ostentatious wealth made her lips twist with displeasure. Asano had obviously spent a fortune in redecorating. A fortune he had no doubt squeezed out of her people.  
Eboshi still considered them her people. She had come to this land many years ago, long before the secrets of its future success had been revealed. It had been nothing more than a disorderly village struggling to get by in this wild terrain. She had made a true town out of it—a haven for mankind. And womankind, she thought with satisfaction. Naturally the people came to regard her as a noble and a leader, when all she really was was the daughter of a warlord from the north. But Eboshi accepted the role, then, with dreams of greater power to be had someday.  
All that had dimmed and faded over the last year. She no longer desired to have dominion over the entire world. She was content enough with Iron Town. Ashitaka, the boy walking right next to her, had shown her just how easy it was to find oneself caring about the needs of others. He really was quite amazing, Eboshi thought, probably the only person she'd considered an equal throughout her entire life. She knew for certain that if she were ever to abdicate her position, Ashitaka would make a very worthy successor. She smiled thinly, but it only masked her writhing displeasure within. There was only one problem with that. Asano had to be dealt with first.  
Lady Eboshi had had her run-ins with Asano in the past. Only a year ago he tried to lay siege to Iron Town and win it by force, to no avail. Eboshi's guns and her loyal townspeople had seen to the ruin of that plan. And she had known of him even before that battle. Asano was a legend in the art of war and conquest. Eboshi had known ever since she discovered Iron Town's secret that eventually something like this would happen. And it had. Eboshi had made one mistake, however. She had seriously underestimated just how badly Asano wanted Iron Town. And that made him even more deadly to deal with.  
"We are here," she said coolly to Ashitaka. They had arrived in front of a pair of wooden doors carved with the shapes of arrows and swords. Those twin doors were really the only luxury Eboshi had ever allowed herself. She liked their aggressive look, and she had chosen them as a reminder that life was a constant fight. After all, she would not be where she was now if she had not fought for it. She doubted she would still be alive if she hadn't clung to that philosophy. A warlord's daughter learned early in life that staying alive meant battle. The style of the doors matched the features of the mercenaries guarding them. Strong, muscular men covered with armor and bearing swords and bows. Quivers stuffed with arrows were strapped on their backs. The men stared dully at Eboshi and Ashitaka when they approached.  
"What business do you have with Lord Asano today, Eboshi?" one of them asked in a low, drawling voice.  
"The same as usual," she replied pleasantly. Her demure manner and calm voice were only an intricate mask she wove over her real feelings. Inside, she burned like the furnace in the Great Forge in the center of Iron Town. She wanted to spit poison.  
"Hmph. You're wasting your breath, woman," the mercenary replied rudely. Even so, he shifted off his feet and slipped inside the chamber for a few moments. When he poked his head back outside, his face was slightly amused.  
"The Lord says he will see you now, but only if you pay him proper obeisance." He was definitely amused, Eboshi could tell. He probably thought the sight of her humbling herself before Asano would be quite a spectacle. Eboshi agreed that it would be. And she loathed the idea of having to pay homage to a low-life as disgusting as Asano. However, if hers and Ashitaka's plan was to succeed, certain.........sacrifices.........needed to be made.  
"Very well, let us in," she murmured. The guards blinked in surprise. Eboshi didn't blame them. She would never have believed it herself, a couple of days ago. But things changed. And Eboshi would have to change with them, or her efforts would be in vain.  
The guards escorted Eboshi and Ashitaka into Asano's chamber. The stocky lord was sitting on a large pile of cushions, looking like the Emperor Himself, dressed in gold and dark green silks—the price of which probably could have fed every person in Iron Town for a whole month. What made Eboshi truly seethe inside were the scantily-clad women near him—his pretties, no doubt, who were standing by with flasks of wine or a fan to keep their lord cool. Eboshi recognized all of them, one a roofer's adopted daughter—barely in her twenties—a young woman Eboshi had found a few years ago in a northern village. The girl's family had been killed in a war between two families quarreling over a piece of land not worth its dirt and was left homeless and orphaned. Thus Eboshi brought her to Iron Town to join the rest of the wretched masses she had scoured Japan for. The girl's face remained blank though, as though she was no longer in her own mind. She reminded Eboshi of a broken porcelain doll, devoid of thought or personality. There was a different feel about her, like something fragile broken. Eboshi had a good guess why.  
"Eboshi, you one-armed witch, you were only allowed into my presence should you pay the proper respect due to the master of this town," Asano called to her.  
Fighting the bile rising in her throat, Eboshi bent her knees and knelt, pressing her hand and knees to the floor in the meekest and most humble form there was. It was a bit stiff and jerky though. She'd never performed this rite before in her life. She bit her tongue to remind her of just how much she detested this man and kept her gaze nailed to the carpet and off his damnable face.  
"That's better. You will stay there until this audience is over. Now, what is it you want?"  
Ashitaka spoke up—it was agreed that he would be the one who would do the talking--and elegantly pleaded their case.  
  
Eboshi's eyes could have been thunderheads, for all they threatened to strike down anything in her path with their lightning. As she and Ashitaka exited Asano's chamber nearly an hour later, she noticed, amidst all the fury going on inside her, that Ashitaka was stepping warily beside her as they swept quickly out of the room. His face was grim, though, and distinctly preoccupied. Under her breath, Eboshi smirked wryly and muttered to him quietly so that the guards trailing them would not overhear, "You didn't put on as good a performance as I had expected, Ashitaka."  
The young man didn't even glance her way. His gentle voice was just as low.  
"I tried talking reason with him, but he won't see things any way but his."  
"Of course not," Eboshi chided him softly. "He is a fat, pampered pig. What did you expect?"  
Ashitaka looked at her out the corner of his eye as they strode briskly around a crimson-painted corner. "Are you saying that you did not expect this to work in the first place?"  
Eboshi looked straight ahead, as steely-eyed as ever. She didn't answer the young prince's question. "I had to beg—beg!—to get him to allow me to stay in this house," she said wrathfully in a hushed voice. "As far as that stupid oaf knows, he thinks I'm conceding to being one of his little...pets." Her expression hardened, delicate black eyebrows drawing down in a menacing slant. Her sigh was like the wind streaming down the mountainside. "Yes, I admit I did not have much hope for talk to work out," she replied. "But I must remain here if our plan is to be successful."  
Ashitaka barely looked up from the carpet ahead of his feet as he walked. At the last meeting of the resistance in Iron Town, one option had stood out from the rest. It may very well have worked. Except Ashitaka harbored doubts. He didn't want to do it.........  
"Things have grown quiet in the forest over the last couple of days, Ashitaka," Eboshi whispered across to him as they neared the main entrance of the great house. "What is that wolf girl of yours up to?"  
Ashitaka missed a step, nearly losing his balance, but caught himself just in time. He darted a quick look back at their followers, but the three or four guards Asano had sent to escort them out were hardly even paying attention to them.  
"I.........haven't spoken to San for days," Ashitaka answered ruefully.  
"I think she would approve of what we have in store for Asano."  
Ashitaka suppressed a grumble. So much hate going around. On all sides. He could almost feel it like a tangible pressure on his skin. He could feel it emanating from Eboshi in waves. As he had felt it in San when she had driven him out of her cave. She really had hated him, then. He felt another pang of guilt and anguish stab his heart.  
"Ashitaka," Eboshi murmured.  
Ashitaka blinked. "I'm sorry," he said, barely above a whisper. "But San........." He trailed off, unable to finish.  
"You are worried about her safety?" Eboshi inquired. She gave a short laugh that was anything more than humorous. "That girl can take care of herself easily enough. She has the devil's luck."  
"She, too, wants to get rid of Asano by force," he said, carefully lowering his voice even more. "She has the courage of a thousand warriors." Looking straight ahead, he added, "She'll do whatever it takes to drive Asano and his men out, but she doesn't realize that she'll probably die in the attempt. She seems to think fighting is the only answer right now, and the odds don't mean anything to her. She'll challenge him even if he has his thousands of soldiers between them."  
"I happen to agree with her," Eboshi put in fluidly. Ashitaka looked at her with mild surprise mingled with consternation, but he said nothing until they were outside the house and the guards out of earshot on their back to their duties.  
Back out in the morning sunlight, so bright despite the turmoil going on in the human town, Ashitaka said to Eboshi vehemently, "You know that Asano's men are too many. If it came down to a battle, the Tatarans would be sure to lose. You know this, Eboshi. Is it worth losing so many lives?"  
Eboshi's cool gaze regarded him as if he was a child. "So be it, if necessary" she said. Her serene voice mingled with the hum of the breeze that broke around them. Pale pink petals from a flowering tree in the garden floated on the air. Eboshi's red lips curved into a wan smile. She caught one of the fair, delicate petals between her fingers. She looked at it fondly for a moment before grinding it between her fingertips. The smile remained, though it seemed suddenly to Ashitaka to be as cold as the iciness of the woman's eyes. "I will not allow Asano to crush Iron Town under his heel," she told him, eyes belittling the melodiousness of her voice. "Iron Town must have a just ruler. It must be independent." She looked at Ashitaka calmly, but her expression was full of hunger. "I will reclaim Iron Town," she said. "Or I will die trying."  
Ashitaka sighed hopelessly. She and San were just the same. Their blue eyes had just the same glint in them, the same desire for battle. With a heavy heart, he knew that trying to dissuade either of them would be totally useless. There had to be another way, though!  
"What if someone were to go directly to the Emperor Himself and plead our case?" Ashitaka questioned. "Perhaps he will listen to reason."  
Eboshi's mild laughter startled him. The woman leaned back against a fence made of slim bamboo poles and widened her smile.  
"The Emperor's the one who gave Iron Town to Asano in the first place. I saw that declaration Asano waved in my face when he arrived. It was genuine. It had the Emperor's royal seal on it." "We might be able to convince him to change his mind!" Ashitaka said. Eboshi's laughter was open now, and mocking. "Change his mind?" she said. "An Emperor doesn't just change his mind. It calls his judgment into question, and all men get ever so prickly at having their power questioned. Besides, even if it were possible to get him to recant, who do you suggest should go?" she asked him derisively.  
Ashitaka bristled slightly, but he firmly announced, "I will go. I will go to the Emperor and try to reason with him." Eboshi's grin diminished a little, but the unheard laughter was still there. "Why am I not surprised? There's no use in it, Ashitaka. The journey to Kyoto would take weeks. We could all be bloody corpses on the ground by the time you got back. If you are not killed along the way, that is." She bared her pearly teeth at him. "We would all be much better off with you here," she said. "I can always use another general under my command, and you are an excellent fighter." Something about the young man's stance and bearing said that he would not be convinced. Eboshi sighed slowly, like the breeze, and directed her gaze at him. "Very well, Ashitaka. Go to the Emperor. Who knows? You managed to save Iron Town from a rampaging god of death before, perhaps you can even sway an Emperor." She chuckled lightly, but it was brief. "You should leave tonight, when the guards on the main gate change. It will be easier to slip out unnoticed. I will even meet you there, to send you on your way."  
Ashitaka nodded in consent.  
"But," Eboshi continued, voice as hard as nails once more, "Do not think that I won't try everything in my power and more to get rid of Asano while you are away." Her azure eyes were fixed on him. "I cannot wait until your return for an answer, Ashitaka." Leaning casually against the fence, her posture did not match the authoritative command in her tone. "If I must strike soon, I must," she said finally.  
Ashitaka stared at her grimly beneath the flowering trees. "We must both do as we must, Eboshi," he responded. With that, he turned on his heel and strode down the path leading to the main part of town, across the bridge that spanned a gurgling stream, away from Eboshi and the great house. "Tonight, Eboshi," he reminded her over his shoulder. Then he disappeared around the bend. 


	14. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 14

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
The sound of Yakkuru's hooves on the dirt was little more than a dull thudding as the elk and Ashitaka clung to the shadows, hugging the perimeter of Iron Town's sharp-pointed timber wall as they sneaked to the main gate. Ashitaka had on his red and white mask and his cloak of long straw. It didn't do much to conceal him now, but out on the road they might prove useful. Yakkuru's saddlebags were stuffed with provisions for the journey—dried meat and bread, plus some fruit, cheese, and water. Also two long knives, Ashitaka's bow and quiver, bristling full of arrows. Ashitaka was also wearing San's crystal dagger around his neck. He would not part with it until he could give it back to her, and mend the troubles that had come between them. He had told no one so far, not even Kaya, about him and San. There were already enough problems to worry about.  
Presently, he laid his eyes on the wide gate. The gate opened up onto the bridge that spanned the lake. Ashitaka took a deep breath and gently patted Yakkuru's thick neck, quieting the animal. Concealed behind a clump of big-leafed trees, Ashitaka waited for Eboshi's signal.  
Five minutes passed, then ten. After fifteen, Ashitaka saw a little orange light floating in the distant darkness. Eboshi's signal. Clenching the red elk's reins tightly, he dismounted and led him through the black shadows over to the light. As soon as he came to it, he could make out Eboshi's dim yet beautiful features.  
Eboshi blew out the candle as soon as Ashitaka arrived. The thin trail of silvery smoke wove its way up to the night sky and dissipated. Lowering the hood of her cloak that blended in almost perfectly with the night, Eboshi gave him the instructions.  
"You only have a few minutes to get out," she said in a hushed voice. "Normally you wouldn't even have that long, but I've arranged for a treat for the tower guards. Most of them are now too drunk to know their own mother from a horse's backside." She grinned at her own humor, but all Ashitaka could see were her ghostly teeth. "There is no way to open the gate without rousing a dozen men at least to operate the pulleys. But I've seen you manage without before." Once, a year ago, Ashitaka had used his demon-given strength to lift the immense gate with his bare hands, a task that normally took several sweating, heaving men to accomplish. In addition, he'd been shot in the side by one of Eboshi's rifles. The demon power within him was mysterious indeed.  
"Here, you'll need these," Eboshi said, distracting his thoughts of the past. She heaped three leather bags the size of a man's head into his arms. From the way they clinked, Ashitaka guessed they contained coins. From the weight, they were probably gold. A fortune, if he was correct.  
"What is this for?" he wondered.  
"You'll need this when you reach Kyoto. If you reach Kyoto. Hopefully it will be enough to obtain an audience with the emperor. I cannot spare more than that. Don't be careless or it will be stolen by road brigands before you're even halfway there."  
"Thank you, Eboshi," Ashitaka replied.  
He couldn't see her face very clearly in the night, but he thought she was smiling at him. With sincerity, this time.  
"You can thank me by getting to the Emperor and back in one piece," she said. "With some good news, I hope."  
"I'll do my best," Ashitaka vowed. Then he added, "Please don't do anything rash or foolish while I'm away." It felt odd, talking to such a powerful, commanding woman that way.  
"I won't make any promises," said Eboshi, an edge of tightness to her tone, "but I'll see what I can do." She jerked her head away to stare at the great house on the hill. "I have to go now. Asano may have let me back into my own domain, but he keeps a close eye on my whereabouts. I do not want to be discovered missing." She looked at him with a gravely serious expression on her face and in her voice. "Hurry back to me, Ashitaka. I do not think we will be able to accomplish this without you."  
"Until we meet again, then," Ashitaka said. With a brisk nod, Eboshi left him and began making her way back to the luxurious dwelling she shared with the man she detested. Ashitaka wasted no time in watching her go. Quickly scanning the walltop—it would still be empty for a minute more or so—he tied the moneybags onto Yakkuru's saddle and guided the red elk to the gate.  
Massive logs of dense timber barred his way, pointed teeth biting the ground. Ashitaka placed his hand on one of them and cleared his mind except for the feeling of its immovable strength. He imagined the strength of the mighty wall flowing into his body, through his hand, down his arm, feeding every muscle, until it was a part of him. With a deep breath, he slowly pressed his full weight against the logs and pushed. Nothing happened. Bracing the wall with both hands, he leaned into it, willing it to move. After a few seconds, he was rewarded with the deep, groaning creak of the timbers budging. Even more power, and he managed to push the sharpened points along the grooves in the earth by about a foot. Now that the gate was in motion, it was easier to open. Directing all his strength into moving the giant wall, Ashitaka heaved it up and over his head and held it there.  
"Hurry, Yakkuru," he whispered to the elk. The big-horned animal obediently ducked his head and stepped through the short gap between the heavy gate and the ground. As soon as Yakkuru was through, Ashitaka heard raised voices on the lookouts above him.  
"Someone's opening the gate!"  
"Impossible!"  
  
"How many men are there?"  
"Stop him! Asano's orders!"  
Lurching forward, Ashitaka merely dropped the timber gate. it swung back into its original place with a rumbling boom. Without a second thought, he leaped into Yakkuru's saddle and booted the animal in the flank. Yakkuru, eager to be off and running, picked up a steady gallop and sped like an arrow through the night.  
  
San floated, as soundless as a hunting owl, through the dimly illuminated halls of the large house on the hill above Iron Town. She knew that this big place that reeked of humans had been Eboshi's den in the past. There were still faint traces of the evil woman's flowery scent on the walls and the blood-red carpet under San's soft deerskin shoes, but there was an even fouler stench predominant on the air. Mingled with the sour stench of sake, there were other smells lingering in San's nose—men. Lots of men. But one her wolf-trained senses were able to pick out above the rest. The scent of a man who was fat and ill-tempered. The stink of a man who wore silk and perfumes and women on his skin. That was the smell she was searching for.  
It was enough to make her light-headed and sick.  
San wobbled a bit in her crouch. She steadied herself with the fist that was clenched around a razor sharp stone knife and knuckled the floor. She really did feel sick. She took a few slow, deep breaths to clear her head, and in spite of the rolling nausea in her stomach, climbed halfway to her feet.  
It had been difficult enough to even get to this place. After leaving her wolf brothers, San had scaled the steep slope up to the gardens at dusk then remained hidden until the lights in the house had gone down. Then, like a wildcat stalking prey, she slunk into the den. A den full of vipers, but she would just have to be careful. Her mind was bent on her prey. The human called Asano. The one who had brought the new invasion to her forest. He had to die. Cut off a viper's head, and the body died as well. San gritted her teeth in anticipation, a low, soft growl welling up in her throat involuntarily.  
So far her passage had remained unnoticed, except for a pair of guards who had been standing half asleep by the entrance to the house. San had quickly dealt with them, before they'd even had a chance to cry out. No shout of warning would bridge the gashes in their throats...  
As San padded noiselessly around corners and up shallow flights of stairs, she finally came to the place where the sickly-sweet human stench was strongest. It was behind a tall, wide door that was carved all over with spears and arrows. Was it just San's imagination, or was the moonlight streaming through the window behind her making those spears dance? Were the arrows loosed in flight?  
San curled up into a tight ball, clutching her knees to her chest tightly, until the dizziness subsided. She couldn't lose her head now. It was too dangerous. The hunt was on! Once the tumultuous sensations passed, San crept on hands and feet to the door and, pushing her domen half- mask further back, pressed an ear against the polished wood. There was no sound on the other side except for heavy breathing. The man was in there, and asleep. Good. She would do it now.  
San tried the latch on the door. Remarkably, it was unlocked. She nudged the door open slowly, avoiding any creaks that would give her away to her prey, and peered inside. Across the room she could see a large bed surrounded on all sides by sheer, transparent curtains, glimmering with pale moonlight. San's sharp eyes made out a fat lump under the blankets behind the filmy material. Perfect.  
Rising to a stooped position, San held the dagger point-down in her hand. Quickly steal across the floor, foolishly covered with soft rugs so that her feet would not betray a sound, part the thin curtains, silent like a phantom, then plunge the knife into his heart, into the fat human's weak heart.........  
She pulled the domen mask back over her eyes and crept forward.  
The faint creaking of the door behind her was her only warning, and she froze. Before she could leap around to face the threat from the rear, a low-voiced snarl sounded, and something reached up and grabbed her under her shoulders, restraining her in a tight arm-lock. Another pair of hands wrestled the knife from her grip even as she was stamping on her assailant's feet furiously, growling like an angry badger.  
A lamp was lit, filling the room with a bright golden glow. San felt a tremor of anger when a pale young woman in a gauzy robe sat up quickly in the bed. She looked as if she was frightened out of her wits. So that had not been Asano after all. His smell had been so close! And she had been tricked. That detail irritated her more than the fact that she was caught. The arms that trapped San—there was someone hobbling her ankles now, too—wheeled her around to face a stocky man with black hair in a topknot on his head. He was wearing a silk robe of dark crimson, and he absolutely reeked of that human stench she had been tracking. Still writhing in the grasp of her captors, San glared at him with a baleful look in her eyes. Asano. The man with the topknot merely smiled down at her, a bejeweled dagger tapping idly against his palm.  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, looking her up and down. "A thief in the night?"  
San wrenched her stare away and sunk her teeth into one of the arms pinning her torso. A man cried out, and loosened his hold, but the next moment a fully powered slap sent San's vision spinning again.  
When San could look up again without seeing the walls moving, the large man, Asano, was clucking at her like a hawk facing a bold magpie, still tapping that blade against his palm.  
"Not an ordinary thief, though. More like a vicious little beast!" He smiled even more broadly, which managed to make his face look even pudgier, and said, "You must be the wolf girl who's been harassing my mills for the past few days. Princess Mononoke, if I'm not mistaken?" He wrenched off her domen mask, casting it aside and peering at her face. "You are a sight more appealing than I initially thought, but quite a thorn in my side, little girl."  
San's growl grew to a crescendo.  
"Yes, every bit the wild beast." Asano chuckled. He thrust the dagger's point under her chin and tilted her face up to meet his eyes. "But you must learn, my dear, that humans are masters over beasts." He leaned his face closer, and pressed the sharp point of the dagger further into her throat. Not gently, but not yet breaking the skin. "Later, when I have you safely tied down, I will make sure you learn this lesson," he said in a low voice, never taking his eyes off hers. His hot breath on her skin stank. "But right now the hour is late, and I'm quite tired of waiting for would-be assassins." He straightened, and said to the men with him, "Guards, lock her up somewhere for now, and make sure she's guarded. I'll deal with her in the morning."  
There was a chorus of "Yes, m'lords," and San was dragged out, still pinned and struggling, growling curses and threats.  
"Oh, and make sure you have the headsman's axe sharpened and a block prepared," Asano called after them. "I'll see to taming this beast tomorrow morning, but right afterwards I'll see her executed as a rebel." Then, totally forgetting her, he directed his gaze next to his bedfellow, who looked just as frightened of him as of San. "Now where were we.........?"  
The guards all replied with their respects and hauled San, who was kicking and screaming in her rage, out of Asano's sight. 


	15. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 15

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
The commotion the guards and their prisoner were making was enough to rouse anyone within a hundred yards, but Eboshi was already up and about, prowling in the night. Garbed in a kimono of fine royal blue, only her pale skin stood out in contrast with the shadows, like moonlight. She was mildly surprised to find that some of the lamps in the wing Asano resided in were lit and brightly burning. She stayed concealed around a corner and observed the goings on with interest. Just minutes earlier she'd witnessed a handful of Asano's burly thugs hauling a young woman, who was struggling like a cat being forced into a bath, away. The racket could have woken up every person in the house. Eboshi surveyed the scene for a few minutes longer. She noted carefully when Asano stepped out of his room to mutter some orders to the remaining guards before returning back inside his chamber and closing the door behind him. The guards stood as motionless as statues with their backs to the door, spears upright in their hands, eyes looking straight ahead at the wall. Eboshi smiled mirthlessly. She couldn't help but feel disdain for these fools. Asano really should know better.  
  
Eboshi turned on light, sandaled feet and walked serenely back the way she came. She had no intention of returning to her room, though. What she had seen this night was too provocative to leave alone. That was no ordinary forge woman brought to the house to be one of Asano's hand-picked pretties. If that had been the case, Eboshi would have laughed until her ribs ached, imagining the trouble Asano would have dealing with this particular girl. She was certainly no Iron Town maiden. No, that she was not.  
  
"Well, Princess Mononoke," Eboshi said complacently to the dark, empty halls, "I can't say I didn't expect to see you here. I'm just amused that for once it is not my blood you were after."  
  
Eboshi knew her house like the back of her hand and leisurely navigated her way unseen through the kitchen and down a narrow stone staircase, to the cool underground cellar that was used for storing vegetables and fruit from her garden. A stout wooden door banded with iron straps stood at the end of the staircase. There was a square window, divided with thick iron bars, cut in the top. The door was one of the leftover fragments from the jailhouse that had been set up in Iron Town before the Forest Spirit blew it away. Eboshi disliked seeing useful things go to waste. A hairy, heavyset man in armor that looked too tight for his girth stood in the way. He was bathed with a dim light from a lantern hanging above his head. Without the slightest pause she strode up to him.  
  
As soon as the rotund man recognized her face, he leered at her. It was no secret to Asano's followers that she was the usurped empress in her domain, allowed by her conqueror's good graces to remain in shame, constantly surrounded by reminders of her defeat. She hid her hatred under a well-practiced mask of indifference.  
  
"What do you want, woman?" he demanded with as much disrespect as he could put into his deep voice. "You are not allowed down here. Asano's orders." He gave her a sickeningly patronizing smile and continued, "Why don't you hurry back to your room and go to bed like a good little girl?"  
  
Eboshi forced a full-lipped smile she knew would look tempting. Just because she was a leader, a warrior, didn't mean she was uneducated in how to employ her feminine wiles. Her left hand caressed the front of her silk robe as she offered him an ample glimpse of her white bosom. With sufficiently distracted, goggling like an idiot with his eyes glued to her front, she moved closer, hand floating to the tie of her robe to undo it.  
  
"I'm not tired yet........."  
  
Even though Eboshi was missing one arm, it was child's play to draw out the carving knife she'd acquired while passing through the kitchen from the obi of her dark blue kimono. In one graceful, lightning-swift movement, the knife was drawn out of its sheath and planted in the large man's throat before he could even think to drag his gaze away. The guard's face filled with shock, and he clutched at his ruined neck, making gurgling noises as he choked on his own blood. It was not too long before his eyes glazed over. They would never see a woman's bosom—or anything else for that matter—ever again. Eboshi stepped over his body and peered inside, muttering about how men always kept their brains below the belt while she adjusted her garment.  
  
San's cold blue eyes stared back at her from where she crouched in the shadows on a crate of tubers. She looked as fierce as ever, as though she might spring at the door snarling and try to lash out at Eboshi at any moment. Eboshi couldn't help the superior smile that crept out over her rosebud lips.  
  
"So, Princess Mononoke," she said with a voice like flowing water, "it seems that you do fit in a man-made cage after all."  
  
The girl positively bristled, like a wolf with ears laid back.  
  
"What do you want, gunwoman?" she spat moodily.  
  
"I must admit I enjoy seeing you locked up like this," Eboshi replied calmly, "but I haven't come to gloat over this one small victory. Our private little war will have to be postponed for the time being. I want you to listen to me now."  
  
San made a noise of refusal and jerked her gaze away haughtily. "Why on Earth would I want to do that?" she shot back.  
  
Eboshi allowed a flash of white teeth at the young woman. "Because you and I share a common enemy, and I want to destroy him."  
  
San immediately looked back at Eboshi, definite interest showing in her face.  
  
"Asano," she said with a hint of eagerness.  
  
Eboshi nodded. "Yes. You and I both have our own personal quarrels with him." She lowered her eyebrows, making her look even fiercer than the wolf girl. "You want him out of your forest. I want him out of my town."  
  
San said nothing, but the hungry look in her eye answered Eboshi's questions.  
  
"You and I have never gotten along very well, Princess Mononoke," Eboshi told her. "We both have our...differences. However, I propose we put them aside for the time being until we can rid ourselves of our mutual enemy."  
  
San listened keenly before asking, "Why do you want my help in this, gunwoman?"  
  
Eboshi's smile turned into a frown, and her voice became as stone. "We are both leaders, in our own way. I command the people of Iron Town. You command the creatures of the forest. As much as I dislike the idea, I want to suggest a truce between us until Asano is taken care of. We combine our strengths, and work together."  
  
San spat on the floor, revealing her opinion on the matter. Eboshi ignored the girl's unrefined manners and went on. Though she detested the idea herself, she would need this young brat's help if she was going to succeed in ridding herself of Asano and his mercenaries. She decided to strike at a nerve.  
  
"Ashitaka has left Iron Town for the human capitol," she informed San. "He left just hours ago."  
  
As she predicted, San was pricked. A muscle in her cheek twitched, but other than that, she was as frozen as an ice sculpture.  
  
"Ashitaka still clings to the belief that he can bring about a peaceful solution to this problem," Eboshi continued. "He is going to the Emperor Himself to negotiate."  
  
San's lip curled slightly. Just enough for Eboshi to notice. It was working.  
  
"You and I are both warriors. If we have anything in common with each other, as unimaginable as that may be," she added with slight contempt, "it is that. You and I both know that talk will not solve this. Only action. Asano is a man of action. He is not completely stupid and dull-witted like most powerful men, though. It will take cunning and force to remove him."  
  
"You want a battle," San said at last, meeting Eboshi's steel-eyed gaze with her own.  
  
Eboshi inclined her head a little. This girl was perceptive, for one raised like a wild animal. Her silent acquiescence was all the answer she needed to give. San noticed it, and grinned wolfishly.  
  
"So do I," she replied.  
  
"Revenge is on both our agendas, I assure you," said Eboshi. "Now to the point. I'll make you an offer. I will free you from this cellar if you will help me to stage a retaliation to drive Asano out. It is as simple as that. Until our mutual goal is accomplished, we shall have to work together. I can rally the men and women of Iron Town, and you, whatever you will."  
  
San stared at the woman thoughtfully for several seconds before nodding once. No doubt she couldn't believe that she was actually going to cooperate with this devil woman she hated so passionately. But Asano she hated even more. She would have to remember that...  
  
"Very well, then," Eboshi responded. The raven-haired woman ducked down, and tugged the ring of keys off the dead guard's body, found the small, rusted one that fit the jail door's lock, and then stepped back as her archenemy came out to join her in the mellow golden light.  
  
The Lady and the Wolf Princess gazed at each other sternly. San acted on the urge to pull out her knife, but the guards had taken it earlier. Eboshi did not so much as flick an eyelash. Instead, she bent to wipe the blade of the carving knife on a piece of the guard's shirtsleeve.  
  
"Well now," said Eboshi, "we will just have to trust each other now, won't we?"  
  
San sneered and marched past the woman, up the narrow stairs.  
  
"Only until the battle is over," she growled. The temporary allegiance would last only until then.  
  
Eboshi followed behind her. "I will have to leave this house again. Perhaps a few of this unfortunate man's fellows will think you killed him in your escape, but Asano will no doubt suspect me. I am going to have to find Gonza, then I shall be leaving for Toki and Koroku's place."  
  
"Don't look for me. I will find you," was San's short reply.  
  
Eboshi smiled wryly at the shorter girl. "Just do not get yourself caught again. I do not know if I will free you a second time."  
  
A slight grunt from San was her only answer.  
  
Once they were out of the kitchen, Eboshi looked both ways down the halls to make sure no one was about. Turning her attention back to San, she said, "if you go down this corridor and turn right, you'll find an intersection. Take the passage on your left and continue straight down until you come to a sliding door. On the other side is a library. There is a window set in the far wall. You should be able to fit through it. Once you've landed in the orchard—"  
  
"I don't need your directions," San said stubbornly, stalking away. "I can find my own way out."  
  
"And what if you are seen by Asano's men?" Eboshi asked, slightly affronted by the girl's ungrateful though not unexpected attitude.  
  
San hesitated, and turned back to face Eboshi. Eboshi wore a small smile of satisfaction on her face, but it was rapidly replaced with a frown when, instead of relenting, San reached out and in one fluid motion, unsheathed the kitchen knife from Eboshi's obi. She held the blade menacingly in her hand.  
  
"That won't be a problem," she replied with a devilish expression. She abruptly turned her back on Eboshi and started down the dark halls.  
  
Even while Eboshi grimaced at the girl's spunk, she had to admire it. "She will make a useful ally indeed," she said softly to no one. The whimsical thought lasted only a second though. The next moment, Eboshi was striding through the halls, preparing for her own secret departure. 


	16. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 16

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Danny N.

Chapter Sixteen

At the end of the earth-covered bridge, the path leading away from the lake Iron Town squatted beside widened into a weed-lined road beaten by countless trips of wagons bringing supplies to the settlement or exporting iron. It snaked away through the wooded hills, walled by the shadowy limbs and trunks of trees of all sizes, towards the dark, ominous mountains far to the East. A full, swollen moon high above like a diamond earring in Night's ear shed its pale silver beams on every bend and crag in the way. Once they were well away from the watchtowers of the fortress, Ashitaka let Yakkuru slow his break-neck gallop to a brisk walk. The elk followed the path compliantly, not even needing his rider's knees to guide him. Only the sounds of the forest followed them through the wilderness—owls hooting, crickets chirping; every so often a thrush began to croon. Yakkuru's hooves clopped a steady rhythm on the packed earth. There wasn't another soul in sight except for them, and the occasional rustle of a badger or some other night prowler in the foliage to the sides. Ashitaka and his mount had the road all to themselves. But still, Ashitaka felt an itch between his shoulders, like he was being watched. His eyes scanned the surroundings, but even the full moon and stars in the sky revealed little. 'Perhaps it's just my imagination,' he mused. His thoughts were continuously straying, fluttering first from his journey to see the emperor, then to Eboshi's desire to attack Asano, San...

Ashitaka's head hung dejectedly. His heart was still aching for his wild one. Every time his thoughts turned to her, he saw in his mind the look of betrayal, anger, and hatred he received then. And remembered the bitterness of their parting when she returned the crystal dagger necklace—his gift to her to express his love. Ashitaka felt it rocking against bare skin, under his shirt. He wore it around his neck, but he hoped fervently that he'd be able to give it back to San someday and patch up this rift that had formed between them.

"San," he whispered into the cool, still air, "please wait for me."

About three or four hours after leaving Iron Town, Ashitaka pulled back on Yakkuru's reins and brought him to a halt. They had reached a break in the sea of trees. It was as if the forest just suddenly ended and became a ghostly, shimmering meadow for some distance. Lone, scraggly trees dotted the landscape here and there, but compared to the stronghold Ashitaka had just emerged from, it looked lonely and desolate. Great boulders and lichen-covered rocks randomly littered the place, tall grass bunching up around them. Ashitaka dismounted and led Yakkuru over to a formation that formed a sort of sheltered hollow against the side of a low-lying grassy mound to rest for a while. The elk contented himself with nibbling on the moss and cotton-white dandelions growing in and around the rocks. Ashitaka doffed his grass cape, lying it down to make a mattress. He ate a light meal from his provisions—dried meat, cheese, and water from a leather bag. Lying down on his side on the grass cloak, he set his gaze on the empty road. The bright moonlight cast a hazy glow on everything it touched, and every star in the sky was clear as glass.

Ashitaka reached up to scratch Yakkuru's muzzle absently. The red elk was nudging him in the side. A sigh escaped Ashitaka's lungs. The night was so peaceful and beautiful. He just wished San was there to share it with him. Maybe it was that dark forest on the edge of the field that made him think of her so much at that moment. He missed her terribly.

"Yakkuru, stop it," Ashitaka scolded the animal mildly. The elk had just rammed Ashitaka's ribs hard with his nose and was stamping his hoof on the pebbly ground anxiously. Ashitaka studied this, and his annoyance dissipated immediately. "What is it, Yakkuru? What's the matter, boy?"

As if gesturing for the young prince to look, the elk craned his thick neck and seemed to be intently staring at something beyond the stony enclosure. Ashitaka climbed to his feet and stepped up on a small, bare boulder to see over the rocks and discover what had captured the animal's attention and made him act so abnormally.

As soon as his shaggy-haired head topped the horizon, his eyes rested on a pair of naked feet, but before he knew it, spots of color and blindness were blooming in his vision. With a short yelp of surprise, Ashitaka lurched backwards, landing painfully on his backside. Wide-eyed and very much alert now, he looked up at the silhouetted owner of the bare, dirty feet and gingerly touched his face where he'd been struck. When the spots cleared, he discovered his attacker was a young woman. She was dressed in a dark-colored robe that looked like it had seen better days. It was torn and hung off her shoulders and hips sloppily, like it was the only thing she'd worn for days. The figure had long dark hair that resisted the shine of the moon and curtained her head like a cascade; her dark eyes set in her face seemed to pierce the night. Ashitaka could not make out the details of her face clearly, but when he heard her voice, he made the connection immediately.

"Good evening, Ashitaka." The woman stared down at him and spoke regally and graciously, in spite of her dress. She sounded quite young.

"Takiko!" Ashitaka gasped, standing. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Takiko stared at him fiercely, but she trembled as she spoke.

"It's all your fault I'm here, Ashitaka. It's all your fault!" Tears instantly leaped to her eyes as she began raving, repeating this phrase to him over and over again. Her voice became more and more shrill, like a wildcat's scream. With a slender hand she tossed her raven hair, revealing more of her face. "My life has become a living hell because of you!" she accused him angrily. Fury contorted her once-beautiful features. Ashitaka could dimly make out the long scar San had carved on her cheek. With a yell like a wildcat, Takiko launched herself from her stage atop the boulder, colliding with him and knocking them both to the ground. Ashitaka instantly found himself wrestling and rolling with the woman who fought and scratched, trying to place her hands around his throat to strangle him. A glint of metal caught moonlight, and in the blink of an eye, Ashitaka found himself deflecting a short, sharp knife in addition to her claws.

He felt a few knicks from both and oozing tracks leaking down his face, arms and chest. Takiko struggled wildly in his grasp. It would have been a simple thing to stop her with his unnatural, demon-given strength, but Ashitaka was afraid he might hurt her. She was clearly mad, but he still saw a townswoman whose house he had helped to build. What had caused her to change this way?

"Takiko, stop this now!" Ashitaka barked over the sounds of the scuffle and her enraged cries. As gently as possible, he seized her wrists and easily lifted her striving hands away from his neck. Takiko responded by driving her knee forcefully into his middle, driving out all of the air in him in one movement. Sucking in a deep lungful of breath, he maintained his grasp on Takiko, and with a quick twist he switched their positions so that it was the snarling young woman writhing on the ground instead of him. Takiko, still fighting tooth and nail, beat at him weakly, but she may as well have been a butterfly flying against the wind now. Once Ashitaka had the raging woman's swiping fingernails pinned above her head with his arm, he fished in his belt pouch for a couple of spare bowstrings, trying to avoid the lashing kicks she kept trying to deliver over his head. It wasn't easy tying her up while keeping her pinned to the ground with his body. While Takiko cursed and shouted threats at him, he bound her wrists together then connected them to her ankles, which he tied also. When he was finished, the once beautiful—still beautiful, in a sort of fallen way--woman was on her side, immobile, tears making little puddles on the ground.

"I hate you. I hate you," she mewled pitifully in her weeping. Ashitaka, now that things had calmed down a little, dusted himself off, wiping the little bit of blood that she'd drawn off his cheek and went to kneel beside her. Her wailing had at least diminished now to sporadic sobs, and she no longer trembled violently, as though all her manic energy had vanished into thin air. Ashitaka looked her over. She didn't appear to be injured badly. Her bare feet had several cuts and scratches etched in the layer of filth, and her kimono looked now to be extremely disheveled and stained. There were dark smudges on her pale face, too, but in the moonlight, he couldn't tell if they were bruises or just dirt. Wet tears on her face ran in glistening tracks to her chin. Instinctively, Ashitaka gently rubbed them away, which seemed to only make them flow more freely.

Ashitaka waited patiently for the young woman to calm down. He even held her head up to let her drink from his water bag, which she accepted gratefully, despite her sudden revulsion towards him. Thirst won out over hatred, it seemed. Once he got up to survey his situation. The boulder-strewn field was still devoid of travelers except for him and the young woman. She'd come alone, apparently. All this way on foot.

"Takiko," he ventured when he returned to the spot where she lay, "how did you find me out here? What are you doing outside Iron Town?"

Her slender, dirty form began trembling in the dust. Tears flowed freshly down her face as she began repeating her former accusations.

"It's all your fault, Ashitaka. Everything is all your fault!"

"What is?" Ashitaka cried with thinning patience.

"Everything that's happened to me! I would have done anything for you, Ashitaka! I even offered myself to you freely—body, heart, and soul. I was in love with you—I loved you so much!—and you rejected me!"

"Takiko, I—"Ashitaka began, but she cut him off, staring ahead at nothing, angrily.

"After you ran off, I left Iron Town. I couldn't bear to stay and face my shame. My family, my friends all expected me to marry you. Or at least bed you. They constantly reminded me of how strong and powerful and handsome you are, as if I needed reminding. It would have been a very profitable match, and my family was counting on it. I wouldn't have cared if I was the lowest barmaid and you a mere stable boy. I was in love with you from the day I first laid eyes on you, Ashitaka!

Hearing her confession was stunning, but Ashitaka didn't interrupt. He really had no obligation towards her. No guilt. But seeing her here, like this, and because of him, regardless of that he had never wished it for her, still caused him grief.

"I couldn't bear the thought of returning to my father and mother, to my friends, who had taught me how I should act for you, how I should catch you. They would have disowned me for my failure, or at least punished me. Instead I left. I wanted to die. I didn't care if some wild animal attacked me or if I found a cliff to throw myself off of. I just wanted the heartache and shame to end.

"I slipped out through the grate that lets the water flow back to the lake and headed towards the forest. It was dark, and I didn't make it very far before I found myself surrounded by men."

"Men?" Ashitaka questioned. Then the answer popped into his head simply, logically. "Asano's scouts," he finished for her.

Takiko closed her eyes, and her quivering and sobbing began anew.

"They tied me up and toted me back to their camp. And there they......"

Ashitaka held his breath, but he could already see it. Whether it was from his demon-given powers or just predicting the depravity of man, he knew.

"They used me, Ashitaka! And beat me if I tried to resist! I screamed and screamed, but they only laughed. They defiled me! Shamed me! And it's all your fault! You cast me aside! You drove me away!"

"Takiko, I'm......I'm sorry." Ashitaka looked at the young woman bound and limp on the ground. He could not have foreseen all this tragedy, but in a way, his gentle heart still felt responsible for it.

"Your apologies won't do me any good now," Takiko spat. "I wish I was dead! I even tried slitting my wrists myself, but the soldiers wouldn't let me. I wish your evil wolf woman would come back and finish what she started. I would not even put up a fight!"

Bringing up San again only made Ashitaka's heartache fiercer. He could not help gazing back at the thick line of trees behind him, running from horizon to horizon as far as the eye could see. San was in there, somewhere. She was in danger, or she very soon would be. Ashitaka could feel it. And now she, too, hated him. Why was it that he couldn't seem to make women happy? Why couldn't he protect them?

He turned back to Takiko, whose black eyes were staring at him like smoldering coals. Ashitaka pondered what he should do. Could he return Takiko to Iron Town? No, Iron Town was now no safer than the wilderness. And he couldn't spare the time to go back. But he couldn't just leave her here, either. On her own, and tied up to boot, it would be only a matter of time before an animal came by and discovered an easy meal. That left only one other alternative, and Ashitaka didn't like it very much at all.

"I'm going to Kyoto, Takiko," he informed her. "I have to tell the emperor about Asano and how he's exploiting our people." When the words were out of his mouth, he paused and considered them. Our people. Ashitaka truly thought of them as such now. And Takiko was one of them, as well. That made her his responsibility. "You're coming with me." Better than leaving her out alone, to either kill herself or be killed. He looked at her sternly, and it wasn't difficult. She would prove to be a problem, if he gave her the opportunity. And reaching the emperor was far too important to risk any problems along the way. He had to complete his mission, for the sake of Iron Town, and for his and San's sake. For Takiko's, too. "If you agree to come peacefully, I promise to untie you. But if you try to make things difficult......" Threatening people didn't come easily to his nature, but he made his seriousness clear. "...I'll leave you as you are and carry you like a packsaddle. It's up to you. But either way, you're coming along." Ashitaka wasn't much in favor of the whole idea, but, if he was extraordinarily lucky, she might prove helpful on his journey.

Takiko stared at him for a long moment, her moonlit expression unreadable. When she finally replied, her gaze became as hard as iron.

"Very well."

Kaya listened with a growing sense of dread as Lady Eboshi outlined the plans for resistance she laid out before what had become known as the Council. Some familiar faces and others she didn't recognize sat in a circle around an oil lamp in the main room of Toki and Koroku's house, which wasn't much more than a wooden shack among many others like it in Iron Town's residential area. Eboshi herself was the head of the Council, her faithful companion Gonza on her right hand. Toki and Koroku were also there, as well as nine other forge women and two of Iron Town's sentries, Yohko and Emi. It seemed strange that the gathering should be made up almost entirely of women. Why Eboshi had invited Kaya and her bodyguard Kenshin to join them, she couldn't say.

"Asano's troops now number roughly ten thousand," the elegant woman intoned gravely. "A good many of which are stationed right here within Iron Town. The rest have taken up position in the surrounding woods. If we were to rebel openly against Asano here, they could move in and crush us like ants." Several of the women exchanged uneasy glances with each other, worry painting their faces openly.

"They outnumber us nearly five to one," a plain-faced woman with thin lips named Sonoko whimpered.

"Yes, and they now have control of the forge and all our armories," Eboshi added. "An outright assault would prove useless, and no doubt it would cost us all our lives."

"Is there any way we can get help?" a plump forge worker asked. "Even if all the women and men fought together, there's no way we could defeat ten thousand on our own!"

"The nearest settlement is nearly forty miles away!" Gonza contested. His bald head reflected the glow of the lamp light like a halo. "We wouldn't even be able to send a messenger out unnoticed."

Kaya wasn't an expert on warfare. She hated war. She hated it with all her being. She had seen first hand the horrors that came from such episodes. She wished her voice was a little bit more confident when she spoke up, but truthfully, the thought of impending battles filled her with fear enough to make her shake.

"What about Ashitaka? He left for help, didn't he, my lady?"

Lady Eboshi's eyebrows drew down slightly. Eboshi had told Kaya about her brother's leave taking, and it was clear she regarded the action as futile. However, it seemed that just the mere mention of Ashitaka incited a spark of hope among the women in the Council.

"If Ashitaka can just convince the emperor, then everything will be alright, won't it?"

"Ashitaka will surely be able to bring help."

"Everything will be okay, once Ashitaka returns."

"He saved us once, he can do it again!"

"Ashitaka is not here. For all we know he could be dead on the road, killed by thieves or Asano's men, long before he ever reaches the capitol." That last had been Lady Eboshi, and her quiet, certain words overrode everyone else as effectively as a millstone crushing grain. Her sharp blue eyes took them all in as her gaze swept from woman to woman. Kaya felt a shiver when they landed on her. "My apologies, Kaya." Then she addressed all of them, saying, "We cannot rely on Ashitaka to rescue us this time. We cannot sit by twiddling our thumbs waiting for him to come back with help he may or may not obtain. If he comes back at all. We have to look after our own circumstances, and put to use the resources we have. It is clear that at this time a full frontal attack against Asano will fail. That is why I have called this Council, to consider our other options."

"My lady," the sentry woman Yohko put forth tentatively, "we are too few. Any fighting we do would have to be guerrilla tactics. Asano would surely punish Iron Town more for our actions."

"My lady," a woman to the left of Eboshi—Kaya thought her name was Saki, but she wasn't sure—said just as cautiously, "even if Iron Town was to fight to defend ourselves, I am not positive that we would be united. There has been talk among some of the men, some of the newcomers. Asano gives them positions in his army and exemption from taxes if they curry his favor. Those who go are those who do not support you as our leader. Because you are a woman," she added meekly, flinching as though she thought Eboshi might strike her.

Eboshi took her follower's remarks with surprisingly little reaction. "Yes, there are obstacles to be overcome," she answered placidly. "What is important right now is sounding out our own people, whether they would rally to us or rather stay under Asano's thumb. Yohko, Sonoko, I want you to start asking questions. Subtly. Find out the names of the people we can be sure we can trust. And those we can't. I will not risk our resistance being rooted out while still in its infancy."

"Yes, my lady," the two selected women replied in unison.

"Next we have to figure out what Asano's weaknesses are, aside from incredible arrogance and love of power," Eboshi said.

"He and his men live off of Iron Town's resources," the other sentry, Emi, stated. "But before long he will be supporting more people than Iron Town can sustain. He will have to start bringing in supplies from the closest settlements—Azo, to the west, and Kawashimo, to the south. Perhaps security will not be so tight while those wagon trains are coming and going."

"If we attack their supply lines, we might be able to starve them out," one woman concluded.

"And ourselves as well," another added cynically.

"What if we were to leave Iron Town?" one woman, a strong jawed, big boned weaver mused. She had been in the fight to save Iron Town when it was threatened by the Deer God—the Great Forest Spirit. "And launch our attacks from outside?"

"And try to beat our own defenses?" Sonoko said mockingly. "These walls were built tall and thick for a reason."

"And what would we live off of?" Emi wondered. "We'd all be finished off by wild beasts or that horrible wolf girl before the war even started."

"That's all we need," Yohko said wryly. "Princess Mononoke thrown into the mix. We can't afford to fight a battle on two fronts. Asano is bad enough."

Kaya pondered this. Princess Mononoke. Where was she? Ashitaka was gone, and Kaya prayed for his safety and quick return, but what about Princess Mononoke? Could she be enticed to fight for their cause?

"We mustn't concern ourselves with Princess Mononoke at the moment," Eboshi said, bringing them back to attention. "It may be that we will have to take our battle outside the walls of Iron Town in the future. There are more soldiers encamped around us than among us. What we need is carefully planning. We must find every strength that we possess and use it to the fullest. And even more importantly, we must uncover every weakness in our enemy, and make the most of it." The commanding, confident tone in Eboshi's words never faltered. She was a capable, experienced leader, and they all trusted her. They worshipped her. Even Kaya felt some of that awe in her presence. The blue-eyed woman began delivering her orders.

"Gonza, I want you to gather the lepers and the ironsmiths together, as many as we can trust implicitly, and find a place out of the way where they can get to work making weapons. Steal from the forge's supply of iron if necessary, but do so in small enough amounts that it won't be noticed. We'll need all of the armaments we can get our hands on. And I have some ideas for new designs. We can worry about the rifle lockers and armories later. Right now, they're in Asano's care. In the meantime, every sword, sling, and butcher knife we can get our hands on will have to do. Have them gathered and stored someplace secret. If anyone needs new utensils, they can put in a request with the forge smiths. We'll have them making weapons for us without them even realizing it." That thought seemed to amuse her, somehow. "Emi, Toki, you will keep an eye on Asano's troops' movements, if any more come, or if they look like they're ready to start forming supply lines." These two nodded their consent in addition to Gonza. As for the rest of you, put your heads to work. We need every advantage you can think of. We will meet again in this same place tomorrow night. Have courage, girls. We will reclaim Iron Town, no matter what it takes."

A few of the women in the circle looked dismal, shaking their heads slowly as the meaning of what they were undertaking began to sink in. Kaya couldn't see any possible solution. This wouldn't be a war. It would be a slaughter. And they were the livestock. 'Oh please, Ashitaka,' she wished desperately, 'hurry back with good news! Before it's too late.....'

Kenshin's hand on her thigh broke her concentration. Startled, she looked over at the raven-haired, young-faced samurai—her faithful companion. The tender concern concealed in his obsidian eyes was more than a mere bodyguard would have shown. The women getting up and moving around them didn't pay them any mind. They talked softly among each other, discussing plans and confiding their anxieties out of Lady Eboshi's hearing. Within moments, Kenshin, Kaya, Eboshi, and Gonza, as well as Toki and Koroku, were the only ones remaining of the Council.

"Kaya," Eboshi said, fixing the young maiden with her steely gaze. "I have a special task for you as well."

For her? Kaya didn't think she could say no to this woman, no matter what she requested. Eboshi had that kind of power over a person. "Yes, my Lady?"

"I need you to keep an eye out for spies. Not just within the walls of Iron Town, but among the members of the Council especially."

"Spies?" Kaya repeated incredulously.

"You don't even trust all of the women you've picked for your war council? They practically worship you!" Toki asked in astonished tones.

Eboshi's single nod pealed her decision. "In times like these, one can never be too cautious. I do not harbor any serious suspicions against my own allies, but I will not take chances. Those who use caution never need pay the price for stupidity."

"But my Lady," Gonza at her right piped up, "wouldn't it be better for me to handle a job like this? She's just a girl."

"All the more reason that I want her to do it," Eboshi explained, never taking her eyes from Kaya's. "No one will suspect her too readily." She looked at the remainder of them, gathered around the guttering flame of the lamp. "I trust all of you with my life." That smile on her ruby red lips seemed out of place in such a gloomy room. "But I will not pay the price for stupidity. Do you accept this mission, Kaya?"

Kaya felt tongue-tied. Eboshi wanted her to spy? She didn't have any experience as a spy. What if she did something wrong, made some mistake that got them all executed? She suddenly felt something warm on her hand. Kenshin had inconspicuously squeezed it comfortingly, then withdrawn his fingers without anyone in the room noticing. At least he would be with her. That was slightly comforting. She looked around at the faces of the women she had come to love like family. Toki and Koroku, Koroku especially, looked sick. Gonza regarded Kaya with hints of doubt, but when he looked at Lady Eboshi, the expression became more.....resigned. And Eboshi.....She would walk into a pit full of tigers without so much as blinking. They all watched her steadily. Kenshin and Eboshi most of all.

"I.....I'll do it," she agreed, and wished she didn't feel like there were butterflies the size of eagles flapping around in her stomach.


	17. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 17

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny N.)

Chapter Seventeen

Ashitaka stifled a yawn as he treaded up the rocky, uneven hillock to the place where Takiko and Yakkuru awaited him. He had risen even before the sun broke the eastern edge of the world, chasing away the looming gray clouds and the night's coolness, but Ashitaka had enjoyed a sleep-forsaken sort of rest. His uneasy thoughts, and his ever-wary eyes had been on the woman who appeared before him now, dressed in the spare change of clothes he had brought along for the journey. The stained, ripped kimono was in a bag with the rest of the provisions, next to the moneybags. Ashitaka hoped he could trust the woman with those; maybe she didn't realize what they contained. He could not waste valuable time every day counting and recounting the coins Eboshi had provided, making sure they were all there. Every moment lost on the road to Kyoto was a waste. The sooner he could seek out the emperor and appeal to him, the better. True to his word, Ashitaka had released the woman once she agreed to come along with him peaceably, but even while she slept a few paces away on the grass cloak he offered her, he could not even close his heavy-laden eyes to risk sleep himself. He shook Takiko awake as soon as the rim of the shimmering sun appeared over the mountains, and within minutes they were on their way again, cutting through the rigid terrain towards the capitol.

Ashitaka topped the crest of the mound and went immediately to the red elk to rummage through the food sacks for a bit of cheese and some bread, and a little water to wash it down, the first meal he'd had this morning. The sun, that beacon Ashitaka kept glancing to as though he needed to race it, was not even halfway to its zenith, but the young prince felt the press of time all too snugly. The last half hour he had spent scouting the quickest and safest way through the intermittent patches of brush and rocky slopes. Trees that were tough and scrawny, hardly fit to be called trees, jutted out of sharp outcroppings and out of the rough ground like barbs in the way. Takiko followed atop Yakkuru, sitting sidesaddle and looking at the surroundings without much enthusiasm. Ashitaka didn't worry too much that she might take Yakkuru and bolt—the elk was a lot smarter than most thought. Ashitaka's time-tested friend plodded along steadily, along the routes Ashitaka picked out, pausing only here and there to nibble on the scraggly tufts of grass sticking up like unruly patches of hair.

"I want to take a bath," Takiko complained, not for the first time that morning. The shirt of dark gray wool she had on was clean, as were the trousers of the same color that were rolled up at the ankle to fit were clean, but women seemed to have this uncontrollable urge to wash themselves constantly, when a man could easily go for weeks without being too concerned over it.

"We can't stop until nightfall, Takiko," he said, as soon as he could swallow the bread crust he crammed into his mouth. It wasn't entirely true. Yakkuru could make good time over long distances, but even the hardy elk needed a break now and then. As did he. Though whether or not his nerves would let him was another matter. But if he gave in to Takiko now, she would demand more and more of him along the way, and it might be far too late before he could reach the emperor. Not a precious moment could be lost.

"There was a stream just a quarter mile back that way," the woman objected, pointing the way they'd come through the wilderness. "You need to stop and rest, Ashitaka. Let me go, just for a little while."

She must have read the set of his features, but she persisted anyway. "Just because we're traveling cross-country doesn't mean I have to smell like it!" she complained. "You won't make a very good impression on the emperor, either, Ashitaka, if you arrive smelling like…like…a man!"

Ashitaka weighed the scales in his mind. So far that morning, she had demanded breakfast—luckily she wasn't too lofty-minded to turn up her nose at the dried meat, cheese, and water he gave her—and then to walk on her own a while after just an hour in Yakkuru's hard, narrow saddle, and now this. Ashitaka wondered if bringing her with him had been such a good idea. But he would not abandon a woman to survive on her own out here. If wandering bandits didn't finish her off, wild beasts or starvation surely would. Takiko didn't seem like the hunting type, though she might be able to catch a fish or two. But then, she had proven just how talented she was when she challenged San, a night long ago in Iron Town. Still, if every step of the way had to be filled with her grumbling…

"Fine," he conceded, rather reluctant. "But no longer than half an hour to get there and back." He'd look for her if necessary, afterwards; a woman could easily get lost or injured by herself among these rocks, but he left enough of an empty threat in his words to motivate her not to dawdle. He really did feel tired, and not just physically.

Takiko grinned triumphantly, and without asking permission climbed up onto the red elk's back, a bit unsteadily, and jerked the reins. Yakkuru didn't budge until Ashitaka nodded. The elk wouldn't leave him behind, he was confident of that. Takiko would be safe with him. As the animal picked his way down the other side of the hillock, Ashitaka glanced around and found a broad, flat rock to sit on. Elbows on his knees, he let a long sigh escape his weary body and tried to ease his mind from his mission, eyes never quite staying still as they studied the landscape and every possible hiding place for man or beast. They still had a long way to go yet. Days, at the very least. With Takiko along, it would feel like months.

His fingers unconsciously rose to feel the sharp, crystal-bladed dagger that hung around his neck. Ever since passing out of the thick trees of the forest that surrounded Iron Town, San had been completely lost to his senses. After so long being accustomed to her presence in the back of his head, he felt cut off from something vital, like his heartbeat. How was she doing? Was she safe? Was she still in a rage? He looked back towards the stream Takiko had mentioned and recalled swimming with San in the fresh, clear pools in her forest domain and lying out in the sun afterwards to dry. He could almost hear the steady rhythm of the waterfalls and smell her skin as she napped against his side.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he jolted out of his dreamy state when he heard the sound of hooves clopping up the mound. Yakkuru's massive horns topped the rise, followed by the rest of him, and Takiko walking gingerly alongside him, holding onto his reins for support as she tried to keep her footing. The sandals on her feet weren't really made much for cross-country, but Ashitaka didn't have another pair of sturdy shoes to lend her. She appeared a lot cleaner, though, and more satisfied as well. He couldn't tell if the smirk on her face was over the fact that she was clean or that she had gotten her way. Ashitaka hoped it wasn't the latter.

The journey resumed without much comment. Ashitaka pulled himself into the saddle and reached down to help Takiko as well. Mounted and ready, Ashitaka gave the slightest flick of the reins, and the shaggy red elk began trotting down the slope, towards the east.

The hours seemed to melt together, and even the early afternoon sun seemed uncommonly warm by the time Ashitaka rifled through the food sacks for the next meal. He handed Takiko the water bag first, and she drank her fill. When he took his turn, the water was warm and a bit sour, but to Takiko's credit, she accepted the circumstances as they were. Ashitaka ate some more of the bread and meat, chewing and swallowing slowly to make them last in his stomach. Takiko tasted some of the nuts and berries dried from the summer harvest and decided she liked them. They only stopped once over the next few hours for some relief, and then they were back in the saddle. The terrain wasn't quite so precarious as before. The rocky hills and gullies gave way to a smoother plain, broken up every here and there with a copse of pine trees or some brush.

They came across the first house in the early evening, the first of many that stood empty and abandoned. In one place that might have once been a happy little village, perhaps not quite so different from the home Ashitaka had known before the curse, the walls and roofs were blackened and charred, some not quite so long ago. Ashitaka's eyes searched among the buildings for any sign of life, but not even a chicken scratched among the ruins. He only prayed that whoever had lived in those homes had made it to safety.

He was so preoccupied with those burned out huts and hovels that he scarcely noticed Takiko's face pressed between his shoulder blades. He twisted his neck around to see her looking away from the wretched sight. Her arms around his ribs felt uncomfortable, although she could not possibly hold him tight enough to hurt him. When Ashitaka asked if she was all right, she replied,

"It's so awful. Men did that, didn't they?"

Despite the fact Takiko had seen her own home destroyed once, a year ago when the Great Forest Spirit attacked, she seemed quite bothered by those blackened shambles they were already leaving behind.

"Probably," was the only honest answer Ashitaka could give. Whether by bandits or soldiers, whoever had done the job had done it thoroughly. If the residents of that little village ever returned, there wouldn't be much left for them to return to. Ashitaka briefly wondered who they were, the people who had dwelt in those houses that were nothing more now than skinny frameworks that looked like they would crumble in the slightest breeze. They might not have been very different from the Emishi. At least Takiko hadn't had to live through memories like that.

"That's what's going to happen to Iron Town, isn't it?" she asked morosely when they were some distance away from the site.

"Not if I can help it," he answered. Then after a moment, "I promise I'll do everything I can to protect it, Takiko. It's my home, too."

Ashitaka thought Takiko would remain silent from that point on, but she told him, in a quiet voice, loosening her embrace, "I never did say thank you. For what you're doing. And for not leaving me behind to die back there. I…I don't really hate you. Not really. I don't think anyone can hate you, Ashitaka."

Ashitaka released his grasp on the crystal dagger. "I hope that's true," he responded just as softly. He didn't think her next words were meant for him to hear, but his demonic abilities picked up her whisper as clearly as if she had spoken aloud.

"I could never stop loving you, Ashitaka, no matter how hard I've tried…"

Deciding to keep his mouth shut, Ashitaka kneed Yakkuru in the flank, urging the animal to a faster pace.

That night, he felt a little safer falling asleep in Takiko's presence; at least, he wasn't as afraid that he'd be knifed in the heart while he slept, but the lingering anxiety over San and for the days ahead made his dreams dark and fitful. Once again he found himself on the rooftop of Iron Town's forge, but instead of being tugged in two different directions by the women he needed most in life, he was alone in the breeze. The scent of smoke was heavy in the air. Looking down from the height, Ashitaka watched as the thatch and tile roofed houses smoldered like glowing coals. He could make out people moving about inside the houses, serving dinner or playing games, going about everyday lives. But they didn't seem aware of the flames that were swallowing them alive. Ashitaka's throat clenched, but he couldn't shout out to them, couldn't make any noise at all.

He lifted his eyes beyond the burning walls of Iron Town. A blood-red sun shone over the lake, reflecting a million fiery sparkles. What Ashitaka feared most was to see the forest—San's forest—facing that same terrible fate, and she in it. But when he looked to the trees spread out for miles over the mountainous slopes, they were untouched. But there was movement among them, too. Fleeting shapes, like ghosts, appearing over the treetops, or through the densely packed timbers. Sometimes a wolf's head, or a boar's. Countless faces, large and small, from field mouse to what Ashitaka thought was the massive, antlered head of the Deer God—the Great Forest Spirit Himself—gazed out at him from the trees. Were these the great gods of the forest, now spirits scattered on the wind, confronting him? Where was San? He needed to find her. Her face never appeared among those that faded in and out like mist.

Ashitaka's eyes widened as he realized the forest itself was disappearing, receding further and further into the unseen distance until the trees and the forest gods among them, were lost to view, taking his precious princess with them.

'San!' his mind cried out in agony. He stretched out his arm as if he could pull it all back, but then the roof of the forge burst into flames, and the entire structure collapsed under his feet, and he fell with it.

Startled out of his fitful sleep, Ashitaka lashed out and awoke with a gasp. The star-studded sky filled his vision, and he was suddenly aware of the chirping of crickets and other insects, the cool breeze on his skin, and of a rather large stone jutting up into the small of his back. Sitting up, he saw Takiko nearby, sound asleep with his cloak wrapped around her slender form. Yakkuru was asleep standing up, looking like a statue in the pale light. His lowered head twitched every now and then, dispelling that illusion. Whatever elks dreamt of, Ashitaka didn't know, but doubtful it was anything as vivid as what plagued his dreams of late.

He wasn't sure how much of the night had already passed away, but what he was certain of was that he wouldn't be able to get any more rest that night. Getting to his feet, he walked stealthily over to Yakkuru, but even his footfalls made the elk's ears prick up and swivel in his direction. Ashitaka wordlessly patted the elk's thick neck to soothe him. With a toss of his enormous horns, the animal hung his head and went back to sleep. Ashitaka waited for daylight.

On the third day of their journey to Kyoto, Ashitaka reigned in Yakkuru to give Takiko a break from the saddle some time before the sun, then a blinding ball in a piercing blue sky, was overhead, but the young woman shook her raven-haired head no, so they continued on their way. Perhaps she was getting used to the saddle, and to Yakkuru's swift gallop.

"My father owned horses, before our family moved to Iron Town so he could be a blacksmith there," she told Ashitaka over a lunch of dried fruits and more of the bread. "We used to ride them in the fields outside the village. I had one, a mare the color of honey. She was my favorite. Father wouldn't let me take her with us, though. We wouldn't be able to keep her, and he said that young women who were approaching marriageable age didn't have time for things like horses." Her tone turned rather wry. "No, it's more important for us to learn how to sew and play music and learn calligraphy."

Ashitaka didn't really know much about the ways of women outside his own village, and even then women were a strange mystery. Even his own sister Kaya confused him at times. Kaya liked to play music. She was very talented on the zither. And Kaya had always wanted to learn calligraphy, and mimic the ways of the high ladies of the court, but the Emishi tribe stood so low in society that she never would have had the chance to, back at home. Maybe that would change, living with the people from Iron Town. Although most of the women there were not of very high class either; perhaps there was someone among them, Eboshi even, who could teach Kaya calligraphy.

"Do you have any siblings, Takiko?" Ashitaka inquired, making light conversation.

His traveling companion seemed a bit surprised by the question.

"Yes. I have two older sisters. But they were both married off when they were twelve. One married a farmer, and the other a merchant. They weren't very good arrangements, but they were all my parents could hope for at the time. They wanted to set up an arranged marriage for me with a person of higher rank, so that we could improve our fortunes, but…but there's no way that can happen now. Not after all of the shame that's been heaped upon my head. Even if I did see my parents again, they would not want to even look at me."

Ashitaka didn't really know what to say, but Takiko's words were probably true. She was an outcast from society now, dishonored and disowned. If a man ever did take her to wife, it would be to his detriment. But maybe it wouldn't be the same back in Iron Town. The people there seemed to defy the rules of rank and social status. Many of the women of the town were harlots and prostitutes before Eboshi gathered them all up. But even they managed to find a measure of happiness with their new lives, and no one thought any differently who didn't know the truth.

"I wouldn't give up hope just yet," he counseled her. "You should return to Iron Town with me. It's still your home. You have a place there, and friends and family."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you," Takiko mumbled sullenly. Then she piped up and asked,

"What's that up ahead?"

"What?" Ashitaka hadn't been paying very much attention to their surroundings. The plain was still largely devoid of signs of people, but directly in their path, a few miles from where they were, a queer black cloud was hovering over the land. "I can't tell," he said to her. "But I suppose we'll find out soon enough." He didn't make Yakkuru run any faster than the elk already was, though. He had a bad feeling about what lay ahead. Maybe just a premonition.

A few lonely trees dotted the wide expanse of grass, with tall clumps of bushes here and there like miniature groves, and a deep, angular ditch sliced through it. It looked like it had been dug with human tools. Ashitaka and Takiko had to dismount and climb up the opposite bank. Freed of his human weight, Yakkuru easily bounded over. Ashitaka filled a shallow dish with water and let the animal have a drink, scratching his hairy shoulders.

"Stay here with him for a moment," he instructed Takiko. "I'm going to have a look around." He scanned the landscape a couple of times to ensure it was safe. It was unusually quiet. A steady breeze was blowing over the plain, but except for the sound of the wind, it was eerily quiet. All the same, Ashitaka strapped on his belt knife before venturing out, giving the other to Takiko just in case.

It felt good to be down and running again, on his own two legs. He scouted around the area for a short while. A stream would come in handy soon. He would have to refill the water bags before too much longer. And Takiko would no doubt insist on another bath if he should find one. Plunging into one of the leafy thickets, he searched around for the source of life that fed them. Pulling aside the springy, leaf-laden branches of the bushes, he almost yelled when a big black bird flew up in his face, cawing at him loudly in indignation. Unthinkingly, he let go, and the branch whipped back, nearly smacking the bird as it winged its way up into the air in a splay of black feathers. Ashitaka watched it fly off. A blackbird? Or a raven? He parted the bushes and stepped into a narrow clearing. There he saw what had drawn the bird down to earth.

A man's body, in full armor, lay splayed out amidst the undergrowth. A sword was still enclosed in his hand. What was left of it. Ashitaka's hand went to his mouth to keep from retching. It seemed like vermin had gotten to every inch of the man that wasn't protected by armor. Ashitaka couldn't recognize the colors of the painted scales, or the shape of the helmet. A warrior from a distant part of the empire probably, dead far from home and from his loved ones.

Ashitaka realized that the breeze had slackened, and a buzzing sound filled the air. It might have come from the flies that were swarming around the warrior's corpse, but it seemed somehow larger. More ever-present. Ashitaka left the spot before the smell of the decaying man could waft to him. He wove through the leaves and branches, trying not to think of the dead man being devoured by the rats and the birds. He burst suddenly through the thicket, and an even more terrible sight met his eyes.

The bodies of men and horses littered the field. Hundreds of them. All dead. All wearing armor or holding weapons in lifeless hands. Swords and spears pointed towards the sky, to the flocks of ravens and vultures circling overhead, looking for a good place to land and feed. They were the source of the cacophony. Their caws and shrieking filled the air. There were just as many birds, if not more, waddling among the carcasses. Several were scrapping for room. Sharp beaks and talons tore at flesh, ripped clothes, dripped blood onto the grass. Ashitaka held his nose against the stench. These men had been dead here for days at least, in a battle that had no apparent signs of a victor. Perhaps these were the men that ravaged the houses he'd seen on the way. Or maybe it was a different army altogether. The whole empire seemed to be in the frenzy of war. Men took each other's lives. Warlords stole land from the innocent, and everywhere there was suffering. Ashitaka prayed he wouldn't find similar fields such as this on the way to Kyoto. Would Iron Town end up like this? It very well might if he did not put a stop to Asano. Ashitaka didn't dare move any closer, to look into the faces of the dead samurai and soldiers. A wild jackal moved through the fray, scattering birds as it joined in on the feast. Some of the vultures weren't so willing to share and flapped and screeched at it. Another battle on this same field. Ashitaka felt the strong impulse to leave right away. They'd go around. No need to subject Takiko to this sight. With a few silent words of prayer for the fallen warriors left to rot, Ashitaka turned on his heel and hurried back through the brush.

"How much would you like, miss?" the pretty, cheery-eyed girl behind the counter asked, rolling out the brilliant red and violet patterned silk for Kaya to examine. The fabric was beautiful—and expensive—but she wanted some to make a new kimono. While she traced her finger along the patterns of the golden birds and flower petals that complimented the material, Kenshin looked around, appearing bored. He probably wasn't very interested in buying silks, but he tagged along with Kaya wherever she went. Those hooded eyes that made him look so unconcerned were really scanning the streets right, left, and behind, peering over the counter past the girl selling fabric, up, down, and everywhere at once, without even seeming to turn his head or bat an eyelash. He always acted as though the town was full of dangerous, backstabbing cutpurses—and recently that wasn't too far from the truth—but perhaps that was just his samurai nature. Kaya wondered how people could live their lives like that, always expecting an attack, never quite trusting anyone. She wondered how much he trusted her at times. It was just the way they were brought up, she guessed. Samurai were almost non-existent among the peaceful Emishi. Fighting was for defense, and until the emperor nearly annihilated her people so long ago, the Emishi hardly knew the meaning of warfare. But now she was right in the middle of it. Well, maybe in the beginning stages. The people weren't rioting in the streets yet, but that could come just a week, or a day, or an hour from now. In her new role as Eboshi's spy, she found it difficult to go about everyday business as though she couldn't sense the tension and undercurrents of opinion sweeping throughout Iron Town.

"Will that be all?" the lady clerk asked. Kaya snapped out of her nervous thoughts and met her kind, brown-eyed gaze. "Uh, I need some needles and thread, too," she added, and waited for her to retrieve them. "I think I need to go to the cobbler next, Kenshin. I broke the straps on my geta yesterday." Which wasn't really so. Her geta were fine. She paid the clerk with a handful of silver, part of her allowance from Lady Eboshi, and the beautiful birds-and-flowers silk was wrapped up in paper and placed into the basket she carried in the crook of her arm.

The streets seemed packed to overflowing these days. Kaya had gotten used to there being so many women about, but now that Asano's mercenaries were moving inside the town walls, there were now even more men than women. And that seemed odd, to her. Kenshin shadowed her as usual, but he looked out of place without the blades under his belt. Just yesterday Asano issued an edict that no one was allowed to carry any type of blade or weapon in public, not even a simple belt knife. Only his own soldiers were exempt from this new rule. Maybe Asano feared that the people armed would be a threat to him. Even so, Kaya had absolute faith in Kenshin's ability to protect her, sword or no sword.

The cobbler's shop was close by, just across the street and down a bit. Kaya wove through the people and animals passing through the street, sewing materials and Kenshin in tow, and entered into the cobbler's ramshackle little workshop. The cobbler, Takada Hirotarou, was a sweet old man that reminded Kaya a good deal of her grandfather. He too was an immigrant, a traveling peddler from Yokohama who decided he was too old to sell his wares on the road and took up permanent residence in Iron Town. The sharp smell of tannic acid and leather greeted her nose the instant she walked through the door. Mr. Takada was busy at work nailing the soles onto some fork-toed roofing boots. He was a bit deaf in his old age; Kaya had to yell his name to get his attention.

"I need to buy a pair of geta," she said loudly. The old man's fingers paused in their work and he squinted up at her beneath a wrinkled brow.

"Geta?" he rasped questioningly.

"Yes," Kaya responded in her raised voice. "With the iron soles."

He stared at her blankly for a moment, blinking, and then replied, "Oh yes, the iron ones. Very good choice, my lady." He got up from the stool he was sitting on and left his work on the anvil; his joints seemed to be ailing him. Kaya felt a bit sorry for putting him through the trouble. Mr. Takada went to the back wall of his shop where all his tool hung. He pulled up on one of the hooks screwed into the wall, then pulled out, and part of the wall came away with it. A hole just the size of a small doorway was revealed in the back of the cobbler's workshop. Kaya motioned to Kenshin, who was watching the front door, and they ducked inside. Kaya said a quick thank you to the cobbler, but he didn't seem to hear. He was already closing the door after them, and for him, business would continue as normal.

Kaya turned her focus to the room she was now in. It wasn't very large—maybe only five or six tatami mats—but it was the women gathered inside who were important. Shoes and various tools, as well as kegs of the awful smelling stuff the cobbler tanned the leather in, were lined against the walls. In the tiny space remaining, three women, Toki included, were standing, looking impatient. Toki was the one holding the lamp that illuminated the small room. She saw Kaya and her thin line of a mouth relaxed—a little. But she and the other two women gathered there all shot uncertain glances at Kenshin, who was busy trading his glances will all of the women.

"I hope I'm not very late," Kaya said apologetically.

"Only by about twenty minutes," Toki replied, but not maliciously. "I wanted to show you how our efforts are going." Again, she grimly regarded Kenshin. "I guess he can come alone to, if he wants."

Kenshin made no response, but Kaya nodded.

"Alright, then. This is the place where we'll be leaving messages for other members of the resistance. The only person who knows about this room except for Lady Eboshi and the council is the cobbler. I'm pretty positive he can be trusted. He hates mercenaries. Didn't really tell us why, but he seems a bit too daft to be a traitor."

'Maybe he lost family in a war,' Kaya thought sadly.

Toki put her hands on her hips and looked at Kaya authoritatively. Kaya really admired the woman, and Toki's natural ability to take charge often manifested itself in the forge. After Lady Eboshi, Kaya would willingly follow Toki's leadership, whether it was in a war or just in everyday town affairs.

"We want to show you what we have up and running so far," Toki explained. "You and Kenshin should exit out the front door of the shop. We'll get out through the back." Kaya looked and saw a little hatch cut out of the storage room's hind wall. 'But here, take these." The forge woman held out a couple bottles of sake. "Take these and go to the lepers' quarters. Say it's a gift of charity. We'll meet up with you at Lady Eboshi's house later on. She wants to speak with you, Kaya. About your brother, I think." To anyone else listening, her words would have seemed perfectly ordinary. But Kaya knew what she really meant.

"Well, you'd better go on," Toki said with a jovial smile that seemed to contradict their surroundings and the circumstances. Kaya took the sake and placed the tall, slender bottles in her basket along with the red and purple silk. She wasn't exactly nervous, but all of this secrecy, all of this sneaking around, had her on edge. She desperately hoped she wouldn't slip up and let down these women she had grown to love over such a short period of time.

Kenshin and she went back to the main room of the workshop through an identical hook latch on the wall. Mr. Takada was waterproofing the pair of boots now, rubbing an even fouler smelling substance into the leather than the tannic acid. Kaya strode quickly to the door; too much more of the smell and she'd get a headache.

"Sorry, I didn't find the ones I wanted," she said as she passed by him. "I'll come again later maybe." Takada just smiled at her, a wide, nearly toothless grin, and waved at her with his stained rag.

Back in the air and light again, Kaya took a deep breath. The lepers' quarters were obviously sectioned away from the main body of town. What was strange was that the building in which they dwelt together as fellow sufferers of an incurable disease, was the closest habitation to Lady Eboshi's house. Or Asano's, rather. It had been, anyway.

Kaya remembered regretfully one of the first edicts to be passed under Asano's new rule. Besides the law about carrying weapons, the heavy taxes, and the emigration regulations he passed that would not permit Iron Townsmen from leaving the fortress for longer than a day, even more despicable than his mandate that all people within Iron Town, natives and mercenaries alike had to obey him as the voice of the emperor here in the west, was his charge that all of the diseased and the lame were to be rounded up and exterminated. Asano wanted no plague in his prize city, and those who weren't able to work would not be fed on the efforts of those who could. Kaya had cried out with outrage when she first heard the news—a friendly old grandmother who lived next door to her had terrible arthritis in both her hands to the extent that she couldn't use them. If it wasn't for the early warning from one of Asano's comfort women who found the declaration on his desk—Asano was a great one for writing and for the appearance of pompous beaurocracy it turned out—then many more townsmen and women would have died than did. Even so, Kaya had hidden sobbing in the farthest corner of her house with her ears plugged and eyes squeezed shut, Kenshin holding her tightly in his strong, well-muscled arms, as the sixteen men and women—no children, the gods be thanked—who were invalids or physically incapacitated were lined up in the middle of the courtyard just inside the front gate, and executed with heartless ferocity. Kaya did not hear how they died, only the wailing afterwards from those who were close to them, and every time she went anywhere near the gate, she could not help shedding tears for them.

Yet if all this was not enough to incite the people of Iron Town to open rebellion, there were still those who traded in their artisan's vests and work clothes to don the red and white garb of Asano's followers. Every day, a few more joined the throng. The pilgrimage of cutthroats and vagabonds to Asano's banners had all but died off, but Kaya felt a quiver of despair every time she recognized the face of someone wielding a sword or rife with a red and white tassel, strutting up and down the streets like a peacock among grouses.

"How will it all end?" Kaya wondered aloud, turning her gaze to the heavens, searching them as though she hoped to find some evidence of deities to rescue her from her plight.

"Only the Enlightened One can say," Kenshin replied softly. At the next intersection, he gently touched her arm and guided her around a small group of the mercenary police, careful not to make eye contact. As always when he touched her, she felt a tingle of happiness. She remembered their first meeting—not even a year ago—back in the lush eastern lands the Emishi dwelled in.

In the early spring, a beautiful time in that place with the shrinking snow leaving the rich earth in dark brown patches and tiny droplets of green hanging from thin tree branches like dew, two of her kinsmen, an old man and a younger, were out surveying the fields outside the village to plan the year's harvest. When they got to the biggest patch that bordered the woods, they found the remains of a battle that had taken place there perhaps just hours before and returned quickly to inform the oracle and Kaya. Amidst the confusion and fear that suddenly gripped the villagers and sent speculation flying all about, the oracle ordered the strongest men to go out and search for survivors. Everyone else was to remain behind, including Kaya, wringing their hands and wondering if the peace and contentment they'd enjoyed for so long was about to come to an end.

By sunset that day, men returned out of the chill with armored warriors between them on stretchers. The others were still out in the gathering dark. Though the battle appeared small, there were too many dead to bury, so they must be burned. The living, wounded but still clinging to every breath, were brought into the large hall. The oracle herself and many of the village women assigned themselves to one or more of the injured men, sewing up wounds, warming up cold-stiff hands and feet, pouring hot broth down their throats, and setting broken bones back into place.

Not wanting to be left out of all the bustle, Kaya, too, helped. She filled a bowl with hot water from the kettle and rinsed cloths to clean the stab wounds on one samurai, a young man with jet black hair tied in a long tail at the nape of his neck. He reminded her a lot of Ashitaka. His labored breathing, the redness around his wounds, brought back the recollections of when he had been hurt saving her and the rest of the village from the rampaging boar god. With delicate care she took the armor off of the injured samurai. Deep gouges in the scaled breastplate witnessed that the fight had been fierce and that he had nearly died several times. But by the grace of the gods, he was still in one piece. An angry slash on the back of his leg had nearly hamstrung him, but it wasn't as serious as his left shoulder, which was red and blood-soaked. Kaya carefully undid his robe to treat it. Whatever blade had left that nasty mark, it narrowly missed his heart. Kaya washed the wound with the steaming hot water and gasped when the young man's icy hand closed around her wrist tightly, and his dark eyes slowly opened to look up at her.

'It's alright,' Kaya assured him. 'You are safe among friends.'

Swallowing, the samurai asked in a hoarse voice not more than a whisper, 'Where…where's Yorimitsu?'

'I don't know,' Kaya responded. Who was Yorimitsu? A friend of his? The general? 'What is your name?'

The samurai didn't seem to hear her, but after a second, looking like he was going to lose consciousness again, he answered,

'Yamanoshita…Kenshin…"

'Kenshin,' Kaya repeated. 'Relax. I'm going to take care of you. My name is Kaya.'

The effort of speaking seemed too much for the young samurai. Kaya thoroughly cleaned the hole in his shoulder and stitched it closed. The job made her stomach turn slightly. She'd never done it before, and had to watch the other women working with needles and thread before she could take up one herself. It was far different from embroidery. But she was proud of the precise work she did.

Every futon and blanket that could be spared, even from the stables, was brought into the hall and given to the injured. Even extra clothing was spread out for added warmth. Kaya spread her own haori over Kenshin, who seemed to be sleeping a little more easily. She placed stones heated in a fire at his feet. He'd be hungry when he woke up. All of the men, would, including those who were still working in the field clearing it.

Kaya joined the rest of the women in the evening cooking; it felt strange to be doing something so routine when such a rare commotion was going on, checking back on her wounded samurai every so often. Perhaps more often than the rest of the women tended their patients. When the rest of the villagers returned late after having piled the bodies, Kaya overheard one of them talking to the oracle while she helped bring in bowls of stew for anyone who wanted some. She paused for a moment outside the stable where the man was unharnessing his roan-colored elk. Two piping hot bowls in her hands, Kaya listened and tried not to drop them.

'Tarou found some tracks leading away from the fields,' the man said, mist clouding around his thick black beard. I told him not to check them out. Some of the survivors, I don't know which side, must have gotten away.'

There was a moment of deep silence. The sound of laughing and talking could be heard from the direction of the village hall where curious villagers were gathering around to peek in at the warriors, being shooed off by older, cranky women.

'Do you believe more will come?' the oracle asked in her thin, age-wizened voice.

'I don't know. The tracks were few, but I don't think whatever happened out there is finished yet. Whatever that battle was for, it's too close for comfort. Right on our lands!'

'The Emishi have lived on in secret for generations,' the oracle said mysteriously. 'Perhaps not as secret as we believed.'

'Or they could just be greedy, aristocratic pigs out for more power,' her bearded companion said shortly.

'That seems to be the way of the world,' the oracle agreed.

Kaya felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. A battle so close to her village, the home she'd grown up in all her life. The world was changing. Would it change, too?

A week passed. Then two weeks. By the middle of the third week, most of the men who had been taken in from the thawing fields had recuperated, to one degree or another, though a couple had lost so much blood from their injuries that sickness set in and they died. Kenshin recovered rapidly. Kaya attributed it to his strength and the amount of food the young man ate. He was voracious, often going through five or six bowls of stew in one sitting! It seemed he didn't want to be outdone by his comrades, who could eat just that much or more. When he wasn't sleeping, Kaya came and talked to him. There wasn't enough room in most people's homes for extra guests, so the majority of the soldiers stayed in the hall. Kaya wondered where they would go when they were healed. Where was their homeland? Were they far from it? Thoughts like that made her heart ache for Ashitaka even more. She missed him so much, and prayed he was well. Emishi laws forbade recognizing people who abandoned the tribe—they no longer considered Ashitaka one of them, although Kaya had heard people on occasion break the old taboo and hold his name in great honor—but there was nothing said about allowing these warriors to stay. The oracle pondered on this for some time and then announced that if they would forsake their weapons and live peacefully, the men the Emishi had taken in would be allowed to stay. Kaya was surprised that many of them chose to stay. Some just disappeared, maybe to return to masters or families. Kenshin said it was likely that those who left would travel a distance and then commit suicide; he explained that he and his companions had been on the losing end of that battle. But samurai honor never did make a whole lot of sense to her. He never did tell her what his own plans were.

Kenshin did not talk a whole lot; he was a quiet sort of person. More often he would just listen to her, and respond only if she pressed him with a question. He didn't seem to mind her idle chatter, though. Kaya found hours passing away in his company without realizing it.

At the end of the third week, on a bright, crisp morning that had the last stubs of icicles on eaves and trees dripping profusely and birds filling the air with song, one of the men working the plows in the fields rode in on his albino elk, shouting at the top of his lungs. Kaya was with the oracle, going over her lessons. When they heard the alarmed voice floating up to them on the air, Kaya peeked out and saw the rider darting between the houses and shops, crying out in every direction for the villagers to get their families together and flee to the mountains.

'What nonsense is this?' the oracle wondered, spryly climbing down the ladder to her hut to go confront him. Kaya stared dumbfounded and followed.

When she caught up with the oracle, she was already speaking to the man on the elk.

'What is all this about?' she was demanding. 'Sending people into fits without reason?'

'There's a group of men in armor coming this way. Fifty or more. They'll be here in minutes! Some of our boys were shot and killed.' Just as he finished a loose knot of men, some riding double on their elks, galloped into the village. Seeing the crowd gathered in the center, they pulled back and let the first man talk. A couple dismounted and then wove through the crowd, calling out the names of their families.

'Get a hold of yourselves!' the oracle cried angrily, making several people jump. For being rather small in stature, she could make an emperor jump when she was in a temper. 'Go back out there and signal a truce,' she ordered. 'Do it!' she cried when he seemed ready to argue. 'We will resolve this peacefully,' she said firmly. 'As for the rest of you, go back to your homes. Pack some necessary provisions, but do not go scurrying for cover like headless chickens! Kaya,' she added, turning to the young woman, 'start taking them through the woods, towards the mountains. Keep them in order.'

'Yes,' Kaya agreed. It was time for her to fulfill her own duties.

'Give me a hand, here,' the oracle said. The rider swung her up into the saddle behind him and after receiving a stern word or two, heeled his elk in the direction of the fields. The villagers watched them galloping away, awe-stricken.

'Don't just stand there,' Kaya said. 'Start packing. And don't rush!' Despite this, there was still a flurry of activity as people raced for their homes, picked up children, and nearly trampled each other, determined not to be caught in the path of the oncoming typhoon—if it came.

Kaya made to go to her own hut, but changed her mind and headed towards the village hall. Most of the warriors were still sleeping. She went straight to Kenshin, who was rolling up his blankets as if he'd already heard the message.

'Kenshin, there's an army coming this way,' she said. She tried to keep her voice down, but a couple of old, grizzled soldiers turned to stare. Without a pause, Kenshin inquired,

'What are their colors?'

'Colors? I don't know!' Kaya said urgently. 'But we have to get everybody out of here! We can't waste a moment!'

'It's probably Morimoto, here to finish what he's started.'

'What? Who's Morimoto? Oh, never mind! Can you walk?'

'A little,' he replied calmly, as though there wasn't a bloodthirsty mob practically on their doorstep!

'Here, take my hand,' Kaya insisted. Kenshin looked at it blankly for a second before stating,

'There's no point in running. I've been defeated in battle. The only thing left for me to do is die with what honor I have left.'

Kaya gaped at the samurai with astonishment, and not merely because that was the longest string of words she'd ever heard out of him at once.

'Are you mad?!' she nearly shrieked. Outside the lodge she heard a few screams resounding. The warriors were here! She fixed angry eyes on the samurai, whose own obsidian orbs were consigned and listless. 'Don't you want to live?' Kenshin didn't respond. He just looked towards the open doorway, where people darted in and out of view, carrying baskets and little children. Someone shouted that the oracle had been killed, that the army was advancing on the village. Kaya tried to block their cries uselessly. Ashitaka , what would you do? she prayed. Turning her attention to the samurai, she asked, 'Don't you have anything to live for? Isn't anything important to you, Kenshin?'

'I'm only a soldier for hire,' Kenshin replied slowly and emotionlessly. 'I fight to get by on another day's wages. It's the only life I've known. I've failed my lord. There's nothing I can do now except live by the code of the warrior and die by it. Lives begin and end in the blink of an eye. But honor is timeless.'

Incredulous, Kaya stared, feeling lost inside. He was so young! He still had his whole life ahead of him, but he didn't care! His soul be damned, he didn't care! Kaya let the overwhelming anger she felt rule her actions and surprised herself by slapping the dark-haired young man full across the face. In the frozen moment that followed, she could hear the screams of her people dying outside and the sounds of steel on steel. The chilly breeze through the doorway brought with it a scent of faint smoke. Her people were dying, and Kaya knew she'd perish with them if she didn't leave now. Her place was with her clan. They needed her to lead them. But she felt so helpless. So powerless.

'You're a coward,' she said, and rebuked herself as well, silently. Tears brimmed hotly in her eyes. If her brother was here, he'd know what to do. This man was a spineless worm compared to him. Right until his banishment Ashitaka had protected his people. Protected her. He didn't just sit idly and wait for death to claim him. Curse all samurai and their wars and their honor!

Her accusation didn't seem to faze Kenshin except to make him drop his gaze from the door. Kaya stole a fearful glance outside only to see a woman in a yellow dress—the carpenter's wife—trip and fall right outside the lodge, a straight, black arrow protruding from her back. Kaya's heart felt like it was wedged in her throat. She'd end up like her, if she didn't escape immediately. But she just couldn't make herself abandon the samurai. She would never be able to explain why, not even to herself, but she would not leave him. Not after giving him a second chance at life.

'You're a coward,' she repeated 'You fight and kill only because someone tells you to. And you're willing to die just because someone told you it's the right thing to do!' She was so angry she was practically shouting. The other warriors still in the hall were keenly listening to her words. Each of them was kneeling on the hard wooden floor, some with sheathed swords cradled in their laps. One of them was softly weeping. He was afraid, Kaya knew. They were all afraid, but too stubborn to show it. Did they weep before they first went into battle, out in the fields? 'Well, I'm telling you it's not right!' Kaya exhorted Kenshin. 'It's easy just to take your own life or let someone end it for you. You're just running away. The real honor is fighting to keep it! Fighting to protect those who aren't strong enough to protect themselves! It takes more courage to face the unknown every day than it does to fight in a battle.'

For all her passionate efforts to persuade him, Kenshin merely picked up his sword and laid it over his knees in the same position the others had assumed. Kaya didn't understand. Why was he being so foolish?

She didn't have a chance to say anything more. The bright light pouring in from the square outside was blocked off as a group of large men with spiny, horned helmets and armor entered the lodge. Their swords were out, already bathed in blood. Kaya's heart felt like it stopped beating at the sight of them. The first, a warrior with thick, long eyebrows and patch facial hair, stepped forward and glanced around disdainfully, eyeing the wounded samurai who had been sheltered by the Emishi one by one.

'Yorimitsu dogs,' he spat in a guttural voice. 'Hiding like weak children. Your line ends here!' With a gesture of his sword, he signaled his companions to move forward. They charged past him into the room and began executing the twenty or so men the Emishi had brought in from the fields. Kaya recoiled with horror as the men whose faces had begun to grow familiar were butchered like animals. The one who had been weeping lost all composure, howling pleas for mercy and abasing himself to the floor as one samurai in purple-painted armor stood over him. The warrior paid no more mind as he let his blade fall than he would have cutting a path through dense brush.

The man with the thick eyebrows surveyed the men as they obeyed his command, leering with satisfaction. He spotted Kaya in the background, and Kenshin, and made his way towards them.

'You must be one of the little infidels who's been helping these pathetic swine,' he said with a smile that seemed almost amused. 'I'll teach you not to stand in our way, little girl.' He pointed the tip of his sword at Kenshin. 'When I'm done with him.'

Kaya drew her belt knife. It was the only weapon she had on her, and it would be useless against a katana, but she wasn't going to watch while he continued with his carnage. She lunged with the knife, but she may as well have been attacking with a feather. The bushy eyebrowed man turned the blade with such force that it flew from her hand. With his boot he shoved her back, and laughed as he unsheathed his short sword. He aimed the tip at Kaya's heart and brought it down with great speed. Kaya cried out and shut her eyes, waiting to feel the steel bury itself in her flesh. Instead, she heard a thunk and felt the air stir next to her. Stunned, she peeked and found herself pinned to the floor by her robe. She wasn't dead. Yet.

'Stay there for a moment,' the samurai said in his low, growling tone. 'I'll deal with you in good time.' Turning his attention to Kenshin, he asked, 'Are you ready, you mangy cur? You may have lost the war, but I'll send you off to Amida in short order.'

'I am prepared to follow the code,' Kenshin answered calmly. He rested his hands on the scabbard of his sword and closed his eyes. Kaya couldn't help staring, even when he bowed his head.

'Good,' the armored samurai said, raising his sword over Kenshin's oustretched neck. 'Then let's end it quickly, Yorimitsu. I want to have a little fun with the girl.'

FWAP!

Kaya's mouth dropped in shock as the samurai toppled, seeming whole until he collapsed to the floor. She looked at Kenshin, still calmly kneeling where he was, bare blade sliding back into the sheath on his lap with a hiss. There was hardly a drop on it.

The other samurai had finished their work just in time to see their comrade fall. They goggled at Kenshin, eyes bulging and fingers tightening on sword hilts.

'He killed Mitomo!' one cried incredulously, as though he couldn't believe his eyes.

'Kill him!' another barked.

Kaya wanted to cover her eyes as Kenshin rose off the floor, but she couldn't make herself. The black-haired samurai almost seemed to be dancing as he flowed from stance to stance, meeting every opponent's sword and defeating it. Five enemies became four, then three, then two, then one. When there was no one left to fight, he returned to Kaya. She was amazed to see him still limping heavily on the leg that had been slashed during the battle. Just now he had been as graceful as the wind.

'Kenshin,' she said, awed.

The warrior just looked at his murdered friends and the bodies of the samurai strewn about the floor sadly.

'There is something important to me,' he said quietly. 'What would become of my honor if I did not protect it?'

Freeing Kaya's robe, he helped her to her feet, putting his weight onto his good leg.

'There will be more soldiers,' he said. 'I doubt Morimoto would send his whole army after a few renegades, but I can't fight all of them on my own. How can we escape?'

It took Kaya a second to find her voice. She was astounded, and frightened, and relieved, all at once. In just a matter of minutes her entire life had been changed. What could she do now? How were the threads of her destiny being woven? Ashitaka, where are you? she wondered longingly.

'We can go out the back and into the trees,' she said. 'We need to make for the mountains quickly, and then for the nearest village.'

'Let's go then,' Kenshin said softly, leaning on her for support.

They hobbled together towards the back entrance to the village hall, which wasn't much more than a roughly cut door situated next to the woodpile behind the building. The bright sunlight outside seemed wrong shining down on the scene before them. Bodies lay still at their feet, some stuffed with arrows like a pincushion. Kaya tried not to look at their faces. She didn't want to see the friends and neighbors she'd lost so suddenly. Inching her way to peek around the corner of the lodge, she spotted some of the enemy gathered together with torches, razing houses and shops. Some were ransacking houses or running down the street. Or committing atrocities, the likes of which Kaya had never imagined. Amida send they could slip away unnoticed.

"This way," she said with a gulp that made her choke. She felt sick to her stomach, worse than she'd ever experienced.

A grove of fruit trees protected the back of the lodge. They weren't much use for cover, bare-branched and skinny as they were, but Kaya and Kenshin kept low as much as possible, hurrying through the grove to the thicker evergreens that surrounded the village. They would be safer there, though not by much. Sounds of battle were still audible coming from the village. Were some of the villagers resisting? Were they fighting back? Why did they not just run for their lives? It was almost as if they were covering her retreat. Kaya preferred thinking of it like that than facing the bitter reality. She was running away. To save her soul, she did not know what more she could do for her people. She was just a girl, really. She wasn't a wise leader like the Oracle, or Ashitaka. Bitterness and grief swept over her, and she began quietly sobbing as the sounds of her dying people slowly faded away.

Inside the woods, there was more foliage for cover. Thick bushy pines and shrubs were scattered here and there. The ground rose and fell, leading to a drop-off and a river further ahead. Kaya was familiar with the terrain, having played here all her life as a child. If she and Kenshin made their way towards the base of the mountains, they would eventually find a narrow canyon they could pass through. There would be a village on the other side, not too far away. If they could just get that far…

'How much further?' Kenshin inquired.

'About five miles. We can't stop now,' Kaya said.

'We're being followed.'

'What?' Kaya scarcely had time to shut her mouth before Kenshin spun around and whipped his sword out from its sheath in one fluid motion. Kaya wished she'd thought to take her belt knife, or one of the other samurai's swords, before fleeing the village. Kenshin was injured, and likely tired on top of that. Kaya scanned the encompassing trees and bushes for signs of the enemy. Please, let it be one of my kinsmen, she wished.

A hiss like a snake blossomed in her ears, and in a heartbeat, Kenshin was grasping the shaft of a long, black arrow imbedded in his side. Though his features were contorted with pain, he did not drop his weapon. Kaya felt the blood drain out of her face at the sight of two samurai in mismatched blue and violet armor bursting out of the bushes. The one with the bow quickly shouldered it and drew his sword. Kaya couldn't see most of his head; it was guarded with a helmet and veil. He lunged at Kenshin, slicing at him mercilessly. Kenshin pushed Kaya away from him before the first stroke fell, and his swords moved like lightning trying to block his attacker's moves.

Kaya watched, spellbound, and didn't notice a second warrior slithering out of the bushes. The only thing she saw was a blotch of purple out of the corner of her eye. She felt a sudden lancing pain stab through her head, and she was on the ground, so dizzy she could hardly see. Her skull throbbed. Men were shouting. From her vantage point, she saw two swords dancing with each other. A spear joined in. One of the swords vanished, and the swords and spear turned on each other. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, Kaya forgot the sword and spear, and the world went blissfully dark.

Author's Notes: This is actually just the first half of the chapter. Sorry it's been a long time in the works. The last couple months I've been juggling working full time and going to school full time, too. And it doesn't help that finals are coming up. Anyway, I was planning to finish it this weekend, what with the holiday and all, but forgot to bring my notes with me. And I'd rather just get this much posted than wait another week or three to get a chance to finish. Again, sorry about the wait, and thanks for everyone's patience and reviews!

Note Added 12/4/04: Sorry again for being so late posting. 's been having difficulties. I'm considering creating a web page to host this story in case this continues happening. More on that later.


	18. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 18

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny N.)

Chapter Eighteen

Kaya stepped quickly, as much as the restricting kimono she wore would allow, kicking up small puffs of dust as she shuffled down the street. Despite the crowd of people milling around in the unusually warm morning, going in and out of shops and stopping by hawkers to examine their wares, there was an anxious tension in the air. From the outward look of things, everything was fine and normal, but there was something in the women's glances, something in the way the men stood around the buildings looking over their shoulders, something in the tones of every voice that revealed the nervousness and uncertainty in the residents of Iron Town. Since becoming Lady Eboshi's eyes and ears, Kaya was aware of it more now than ever before. Kenshin trailed just a step behind her, slinking like a wolf. A wolf that might lash out at an unsuspected moment. She had no fear of being bitten, though. Kenshin had sworn to protect her with his life, and he was dedicated, just like his name. Kaya shifted the basket containing the birds-and-flowers silk and the two large bottles of sake in her arms protectively as she wove through the busy street. Gazing up the straight, narrow way, she saw a multitude of men wearing red caps with white veils. If their colors weren't enough of a giveaway, the swords or rifles they bore proclaimed them Asano's men. Some of them had red silk tassels on their weapons. Those were the special guard, Asano's most loyal men who protected the perimeter of his house, and they leered at every passerby over the white veils that covered the lower half of their faces. The ones that weren't on-duty strutted around like proud herons patrolling their marsh.

From where she stood, Kaya could see the thatched roof of the lepers' quarters over the timber wall up on the hill. Until the massacre, the lepers of Iron Town that Lady Eboshi protected shared an earthen brick house with woven grass screens covering the doors and windows. Confined to this building in order to prevent the plague from spreading, they were employed in developing weapons and other iron devices until death claimed them, but their loyalty to Lady Eboshi was stronger than that of any townsman or woman.

When the execution of the sick and disabled had been ordered, Asano's soldiers had stormed the quarters—rather reluctantly, not wanting to risk catching the disease themselves, Asano's orders or no—but not even a bandage or blanket remained. It was only later from Toki that Kaya learned about a passageway beneath the floorboards. It had been dug years beforehand by the lepers themselves when neighboring warlords, Asano among them, first began sieging Iron Town. It provided temporary safety to the men and women who worked the iron refined at the forge. The hesitation of Asano's soldiers to enter the sick house gave the lepers just enough time to conceal themselves beneath the disguised trap door. It was as if they had all vanished into thin air. When Eboshi learned of Asano's decree—Kaya had seldom seen such cold, dangerous fury in one woman's face—and of her people's mysterious disappearance, she anonymously arranged for wine and sake by the barrel to be provided for Asano's men, particularly the ones stationed near the lepers' quarters. When the hour was late and the guards were either all asleep or slipperier than grease, members of the resistance council and some loyal, trusted townswomen snuck into the house and brought out the lepers from their underground confines. Every moment was like walking on the edge of a newly sharpened knife, but the gods be thanked, all twenty-four lepers—men and women of Iron Town—were smuggled out. Toki and the tower guard Emi somehow managed to bring them all the way out one at a time to the forge, hiding them under multiple layers of clothing. Now they lived secretly in the stifling cellar beneath the forge, the sounds of their scheming and tinkering swallowed by the roar and heat of the forge fires.

Kaya made her way to the towering forge, trying not to arouse any suspicion. She was hardly accustomed to sneaking—she hadn't had reason to since she was nine and stealing sweetened rice cakes from the plump thatcher's wife—but all the same, she had to complete her task.

"Wait here," she told Kenshin, whose young and perspiring face didn't appear very thrilled to let her go into the forge by herself. A pair of Asano's guards were standing at attention across from the drinking house where she and her bodyguard paused, blocking the wide, square entryway. Each had a stout, long-tipped spear in hand; they leaned on them for support in the stifling humidity and uncomfortable heat. Kaya wiped her own forehead and squeezed the basket in her arms to steel herself and approach them. Quickly peering up and down the street, she trotted across and drew up to the guards. Their hard, beady eyes fixed on her, and Kaya tried not to gulp.

"Excuse me….." she said innocently.

"What do you want, girl?" the one on the right demanded brusquely, jerking to attention. He shifted his spear and looked down his narrow nose at her contemptuously. "What's your business?"

"I…..I just wanted to speak to the forge master," Kaya replied as submissively as she could. Which wasn't terribly difficult when she took into account the guards' weapons and intimidating faces. Once Asano took over the town, he put in men to take over for the women overseeing the forge. Kaya felt a spark of pride in knowing for a fact that iron production had dropped by almost fifty percent since men were put in to manage the workers. Of course, a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that the forge women weren't nearly as diligent in their occupation as they used to be under Eboshi.

"What for?" the guard on the left asked doubtfully. "You don't look like you work here," he observed, eyeing the fine garb she was decked out in.

His suspicion wasn't wholly unexpected. Kaya unpleasantly recalled the alibi she had prepared earlier. Actually, Toki was the one who had thought of it. "I do work for him, you see," she stated, struggling not to blush. "I have an appointment with him just about now, when he goes on his break. He likes me to look nice before I begin." She remembered the bottles in her basket when she caught the right-side guard ogling them thirstily. "He likes it even better if I bring him sake beforehand, too." What she knew of the forge master was true—he did like to spend a little while with a pretty woman when he wasn't working, and there wasn't any shortage of girls who needed to make an extra coin or two to keep up with Asano's outrageous taxes—and Toki had assured her that even if the guards questioned him, there wouldn't be any trouble. The forge master couldn't remember a particular woman's face from one day to the next.

The two guards leered at each other with crooked smiles. Kaya cringed a bit and reminded herself that Kenshin was just a little distance behind her, watching in case anything went wrong.

"Sure you don't have any time in your schedule for some more customers?" the red-and-white uniformed man on left inquired smoothly. "You don't look much older than a kid, but I can always go for a good time….."

"I don't want to be late," Kaya said firmly. She really would start blushing like a ripening plum if she didn't get by them soon! "Now if you please."

"Fine, fine. Go on in. But come by a little earlier next time," the left guard. "It gets pretty dull just standing here all day."

Kaya brushed past them hastily and dove through the thick, heavy curtain that separated the forge from the outside world. She felt like she was stepping into a volcano. A wall of heat slammed into her as soon as she was inside. The first thing to greet her eyes was the gigantic smelter, like a wide conical pot holding in the boiling, white-hot iron. Scaffolding ran all over the place as working women rolled carts of ore to the lip of the behemoth, dumping it in to be heated and to be purged of impurities. On the floor level were bellows the size of wagons dug into the ground, pumped by women who had their robes rolled up and hanging loose as they worked the contraptions with their legs, breathing life into the roaring fires heating the iron. Kaya didn't see Toki at her usual station. She would be waiting for her elsewhere.

She did however identify a woman with long black hair that hung below her waist—a member of the council named Murasaki, at the bellows Toki usually operated. She crossed the stone-laid floor over to the frame the forge women held on to while they rocked the pump back and forth and spoke loudly enough to be heard over the noise of the ironworks but not by the men supervising the goings-on from the catwalks above. None of them were looking down to the floor, only shouting unintelligible orders at those pushing the carts along.

"Murasaki," she called to third woman down one row. The worker next to the long-haired woman elbowed her in the ribs to get her attention. Murasaki snapped out of whatever daydreams she was having and recognized Kaya. The two women between them rotated so that Murasaki could speak to Kaya face-to-face.

"How are you, Kaya?" she inquired with a smile that belied the tiredness and sweat on her face. Kaya felt the boiling heat squeeze her, too. Her clothes were too heavy for a place like this.

"Fine, thank you. I brought you a gift of charity, courtesy of Toki." She tipped her basket to reveal the bottles of rice wine to Murasaki.

"Ah, that was nice of her. Here, I'll show you where you can put them." To her companions she said loudly, "I'll be just a minute, girls. There'll be drinks later." The other forge women grinned at each other and started to talk animatedly. Murasaki left her post and led Kaya to a storage closet built into the corner of the forge. It wasn't very big, and inside the darkened quarters, Kaya could make out shelves and barrels, as well as stacks of futons and pillows for the girls to rest on during their backbreaking shifts, tools, and places for the workers to keep their meals as well. Murasaki closed the rickety wooden door behind her, leaving them in the dark. A second later, Kaya heard a hissing sound, and a long match sputtered to life in the woman's fingers. Lighting a stubby candle, Murasaki squeezed through the packed closet to the other side, to where some broken and dusty stools were stacked in a heap. Then she stamped on the floor three times, making dust swirl like creeping mist at their feet, and waited before she moved them aside and pulled on an iron ring attached to the floor. It opened up into a darkened cellar. Kaya heard a cheerful voice come up from the shadowy chamber.

"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes." A bandaged head poked up through the floor. The leper was a woman, with all of her face covered except her eyes, which Kaya noticed in the candlelight, were a gorgeous shade of light blue. "Ah, it's nice to get a breath of fresh air. It stinks down there, you know." She looked at Kaya, then back at Murasaki. "Who's your friend? Not an enemy, I'll wager, unless you've decided to rat on us."

"Don't be silly, Aoi," Murasaki laughed. "This is Kaya. She's in on the secret, too, so you can trust her." To Kaya, she said grandiosely, "Welcome to the Lepers' Quarters."

"It's nice to have visitors once in a while," the blue-eyed leper said cheerily. "Ah, just one moment." She descended back into the darkness—on a ladder, Kaya saw—and before long a dim light shone from the cellar. The faint noises of hammers clinking on metal floated up to her ears. Then the bandaged woman reappeared. "Oh, before I forget, Murasaki, can you have some more ointment brought down for us during the night shift? Shouka's condition is getting worse. I think the heat is aggravating it."

"Sure," Murasaki replied. "And I'll make sure you get some fresh fruit and bread later on, too. Oh, and here." She lowered down one of the bottles of sake Kaya had brought with her. "A gift of charity."

"Thank you!" Aoi replied, eyes twinkling with excitement. "This will boost morale for sure."

"What is it you're doing down there?" Kaya asked inquisitively.

The blue-eyed leper cocked her head and regarded her with pride shining in what could be seen of her face. "Making mischief," she replied coyly.

"Hah, no doubt about it," Murasaki added cajolingly. "The people here are working on some new devices for Lady Eboshi and the resistance," she explained. "And we're hiding some of the weapons we've managed to smuggle here, too. It's quite an operation."

"You can say that again," Aoi commented. "We're experimenting with some larger scale machinery. And tinkering around with some explosives as well. So far we haven't had any injuries or brought the whole forge down around our ears. But," she turned her head to look up at Murasaki, "we need more gunpowder. We don't have nearly enough to be able to fight Asano's men."

"I'll tell Lady Eboshi at the next meeting," Murasaki promised. "She'll find a way to get it to you. Just don't go blowing yourselves up down there. We need all the help we can muster."

"We'll try," Aoi joked. "Anyway, I gotta get back to work, and I suggest you do the same. Give us a knock or three next time you come in. And don't forget to leave the door open during the night shift to replenish the air. It's getting real stuffy down there."

"I'll guard the door myself," Murasaki said. "Or Kumiko will."

"Great. Well, see you later." The blue-eyed leper crawled back down the ladder and moved out of sight; Murasaki closed the cellar door and replaced the broken stools on top of it.

"It must be terrible to live down there," Kaya mused aloud.

"It probably is. But they're a really optimistic lot, believe it or not. And smarter than anyone I've ever met, excepting Lady Eboshi, of course. She's more brilliant than any man, also. Besides this, she's got people digging caches outside Iron Town by the mines to store food, just in case we're cut off from it. It's looking like this could be a really long, hard fight. We don't want anyone starving to death because of it."

The thought unsettled Kaya. During her journey to the west with Kenshin, she had traveled through areas where ravaging bandits and armies passing through, burning and pillaging, had made food scarce. Stick-thin bodies of children floating face down in the river became a common sight after a while. Some people simply lay dead on the side of the road with nothing more than scraps of clothing around their frames. Kaya had made little shrines out of stones to be their memorial and thanked the gods for her own good fortune.

"No, we don't," she agreed.

Murasaki nodded. "Alright. You'd better run along now. I need to be getting back, too, before Asano's thugs notice I'm slacking."

Kaya remained thoughtfully quiet for a moment. She still needed to see Lady Eboshi and report back to her the things she'd heard and seen among the townspeople. Which wasn't much. She knew she had a tendency to give people the benefit of the doubt. She had quickly grown to love and trust everyone here. The idea of spying on them was still totally alien to her. But Eboshi had requested to see her. Toki said so.

Murasaki saw her to the entrance of the forge and bid her good day before returning to her work with the other women. Kaya squinted in the bright light that flooded her eyes once she passed through the stiff, heavy curtain and was back outside. The forge seemed so dim and stifling that breathing fresh air again was invigorating. However, her heart sank when she stepped forward and remembered the guards standing on either side of the entrance. They noticed her leaving, and one of them opened his leering mouth to say something. Kaya didn't wait to give him the chance. She caught sight of Kenshin still standing solidly in the same position he was when she left, a frown on his stony features. Kaya hustled across the street and away from the forge as quickly as possible, as much as her robe would allow, not even bothering to berate him for looking like he was ready to make some trouble.

"Let's go," she said the moment she was back with her bodyguard. "Now."

Kenshin wordlessly nodded and herded her along the street with his arm. Kaya detected the look he directed at the guards at the forge. One of them glared back and slapped his spear against his calloused palm, but she and Kenshin were off before he could make real his threat.

They were halfway to Toki's house, Eboshi's current headquarters, when Kaya slowed down to a casual walk. No need to look so suspicious, though lately everyone made their steps quicker when around the mercenaries. She pulled her gaze up from the cart-scarred street just in time to see a red and white coated man bearing a rifle over his shoulder reach out with his free hand and snatch a handful of dark brown nuts from a vendor's barrel. He popped one into his mouth and continued on his way, joking with his companion beside him, also in Asano's colors.

"Hey, are you going to pay for those?" the nearly toothless old vendor demanded. The way his vest was draped loosely over his profound ribs made him look as ancient as dirt. Kaya and Kenshin stopped in their tracks when the mercenary halted, slowly turning to scathe the old man with an indignant glare.

"Did you say something, louse?" he inquired provocatively. He returned to stand in front of the man's table. His quarry cast uncertain glances right and left, as though pleading to those who had paused to watch out of curiosity to help him.

"I just…..I just want you to pay for what you took," the man said weakly. "I have a widowed daughter and three grandchildren to feed. This is the only income I have."

The mercenary's companion laughed scornfully. "Then go back to the mines! We always need more rats in the tunnels!"

The thief wore a sneer over his unshaven stubble.

"We samurai of Lord Asano break our backs to defend this pathetic town from invaders and this is the thanks we get? We are vigilant all day and night to protect you while you sleep and you talk to us with such disrespect?" He put his hand on the rim of the barrel of nuts and gave the old man a threatening stare.

"You don't have any business without us. Don't worry, we'll take good care of it." He rudely threw down the barrel. It toppled off of the table and spilled its contents into the street. The mercenary who'd stolen from the old man punctuated his point by kicking it so that rolled into the street, spraying hard brown nuts everywhere. Kaya looked into the old man's face and saw a blend of fear and sadness in its wrinkles. She wished there was something she could do, but the samurai were large men. And they carried weapons. She was just a girl.

"You have no right to call yourselves samurai!" a familiar voice rang out angrily. Kaya thought it came from the growing crowed that had closed in on the scene. The mercenaries spun around to locate the source, and people naturally stepped out of their line of sight, not wanting to risk involvement. Kaya saw Toki's husband, Koroku, in their wake, and she was more than a little surprised. Usually the man was a bit of a coward, and not very assertive. Toki was the one who usually wore the pants in their house. But for once Koroku didn't look intimidated or cowardly. He didn't shrink under the belligerent gazes of Asano's fighting dogs, and his jaw was quite firmly set. Kaya thought she could almost see his topknot quivering, though.

"Do you dare impugn my honor, you bottom-feeding lowlife?" the rifle-bearing samurai questioned in low, deadly tones.

"Well," Koroku answered, swallowing hard and darting his gaze around much like the old vendor had done, "yes. I guess I do dare."

The thief's companion drew his sword and pointed it at Koroku, shouting from behind his veil, "Start showing some proper respect for your betters, cur, or I'll nail your head to a post for the birds to pick at!"

"You and your friends have been leeching off of Iron Town for far too long!" Koroku yelled defiantly. "And we're tired of it! We won't let you keep abusing us any longer!" Several people, men and women alike, nodded in agreement and regarded the two mercenaries with disapproving frowns and narrowed eyes.

"Kaya, we should go," Kenshin said in a hushed voice. Kaya agreed, but she couldn't make her feet move. She'd seen more red-capped mercenaries and the muzzles of rifles drifting towards this place. She admired Koroku's bravery, but now was not the best time to initiate a rebellion. Not yet.

Before the thought was even finished, a green-shirted man from the crowd lunged at the sword-wielding samurai, yelling wordlessly, and began trying to wrestle the weapon out of his grasp. He was joined a split second later by a man in a purple coat like Koroku's. They fell on the samurai and beat at him with their fists, trying to bring him down. The other samurai recovered from his astonishment quickly and lowered his gun to try to beat off the assailants with the butt of it, but he, too, was attacked by a couple of ferocious women from the side. The other townspeople seemed to take that as their cue. They surged forward as one body to overwhelm the two mercenaries. Kaya was nearly knocked over in the melee. Before she knew it, Kenshin had picked her up and was carrying her in his arms, dashing away from the fight as quickly as he could get by the suddenly manic passers-by. Kaya saw more mercenaries rushing towards the scene, squeezing into the mess to help their comrades, clubbing men and women to pry them away. Kenshin took a few turns around street corners and the view vanished from sight, but the shouting and screaming still reverberated through the air. Kaya was just glad not to hear any gunshots. She didn't argue with Kenshin as he whisked her away from the place. She hoped the old man wasn't caught in the brawl. And that all of the council's planning wouldn't fall to pieces in the next few minutes.

It wasn't until they'd finally reached Toki's house that Kenshin thought to put her down. Or slow his pace for that matter. Toki's two-story dwelling was made of pale gray planks, rather shabby looking, but sturdy and clean—Toki insisted on keeping it that way. Kaya went straight to the door and slid it aside, sticking her head into the dim interior.

"Hello? Is anybody here?"

No response came, so Kaya shucked off her shoes and stepped inside. Kenshin did likewise and followed. Leaving her earlier purchase by the door, Kaya entered the house. It was small, but well aired out. Most of the residents of Iron Town had wooden floors, or if they could afford them, tatami mats, but Toki and Koroku were fairly well to do, with both of them working. Plus they'd been given gifts by Lady Eboshi from time to time. Kaya passed a finely painted folding screen as she crossed the front room, a scene of fishing boats on a bay, with the tails of whales slipping into the water further out to sea. Just beyond the first room there was a steep, wooden staircase. Kaya climbed up it laboriously—no matter how pretty they were, kimono just weren't meant for moving around freely—and peered around once she reached the second floor. There were only two doors up here, and the narrow hallway was almost completely pitch dark. Kaya knew where she was headed, though, and tapped meekly on the door on the right-hand side.

A woman's voice invited her in.

The room on the other side of the sliding door was hardly brighter than the hallway. Bamboo slats across the window let a little light in, but except for a handful of candles lined up on a writing desk, the place was encompassed with shadows. Kaya went in alone while Kenshin took up his usual station outside, and she closed the door behind her for privacy. This room was for women alone, and only for council members at that. Kaya was surprised to find that it was empty, except for one figure at the desk, the only furnishing in the room except for a futon against the far wall, and a wooden table with a pitcher of water and bowl. A plain, oval mirror hung above it. No one who knew Lady Eboshi would ever believe she had fallen so far, but despite Toki's offers to make the chamber more suitable for so eminent a lady, Eboshi remained satisfied with the sparse decoration. The woman was in a drab, tan yukata, leaning over pieces of parchment on the desk, veiled with particles of dust that surfed the penetrating rays of light from the outside. The long raven hair she usually wore up was tied in a tail with a length of white cloth. Even in such homely apparel, Kaya was taken aback by how impressive a figure the woman struck. Her pale arm rocked as she wrote with a charcoal pencil on the pieces of yellow parchment before her. Kaya received no other words from Lady Eboshi and timidly approached the desk. She saw the stark characters being scrawled on the paper, not quite so elegant and sharp as they may have been had Eboshi's other arm not been taken by one of the wolf gods, but she could still write well enough.

Kaya opened her mouth to speak when Eboshi cut her off saying,

"Good day, Kaya. Have you heard anything from the lepers?"

Kaya blinked in surprise. The woman wasted no time.

"I spoke with one of them earlier," she replied. "They said they were working on some new weapons." She thought back to her conversation with the woman Murasaki. "And they need more gunpowder."

Eboshi pursed her lips thoughtfully, but the pencil did not slow as it scribbled on the page. Kaya craned her neck a bit to see what it was, but the characters were foreign to her. She made out the words "box" and "gremlin," though. Her brown wrinkled in thought as to why her mentor would be writing such strange things. She did not think it would be appropriate to ask.

"That may be difficult," Eboshi said, not looking up from her work. "I've been informed that Asano is sending out a supply train, but he wants food and wine, not munitions. We will have to convince him to add it to his shopping list. What else have you seen?"

Kaya bit her lip, recalling the budding riot in the street on her way here. "People are on edge. Asano's men are pushing everyone around like they're the emperor Himself." That reminded her. "Have you heard anything about Ashitaka?"

"Only that Asano has ordered him to be executed if he should ever return to these lands," Eboshi replied emotionlessly. "The journey to Kyoto will be hazardous. Asano may not even need to bother."

Kaya couldn't help the hot, stinging tears that started to well up in her eyes. The thought of Ashitaka hurt was almost more than she could bear, and she missed him painfully. But she wouldn't crumble in front of Lady Eboshi. She wanted to make this woman proud of her, not demonstrate her own childish weaknesses.

"But then, Ashitaka has always managed to beat the odds," Eboshi mused. "He is a remarkable young man." She laid the pencil down at last. "But this time he will need nothing short of a miracle to enlist the help of the emperor and return before hell breaks loose on earth." She turned in her chair to face Kaya. Even sitting on a rickety stool and dressed like a commoner, she had a commanding air about her, like a general issuing orders and expecting complete obedience. "I do not think that he will succeed, Kaya. In fact, I am counting on him not to."

"What?" Kaya uttered incredulously before she could help herself.

"The people of Iron Town must fight this battle themselves," Eboshi cut in sharply. "They must rely on their own strength to overcome this trial. Already their confidence is starting to fade. More men go over to Asano every day, and Asano already has us on our knees."

"People are fighting back!" Kaya proclaimed. "There is still a spark of hope in the men and women here! On my way here, I witnessed the people of Iron Town standing up for themselves!"

"Yes," Eboshi laughed shortly, dryly. "Koroku started a bit of a spat in the streets just a short while ago. It's quite unusual for him, I must say. Someone came to tell Toki, and she ran off to find him and drag him out of it. I just hope neither of them gets arrested. I need her here with me, on this council." She shook her head and sighed. "The last thing we need right now is to begin this rebellion prematurely. I would much rather have Asano playing to my own tune than give him any more of an advantage over us. At any rate, we must gather our forces as we can. We can't hold out hope for outside help. It may never come."

"Ashitaka will succeed," Kaya vowed. "I know he will."

"We cannot let ourselves depend on that. I don't want my people relying on a false hope."

An uncomfortable silence filled the gap between them until Eboshi stated in a clipped but serene manner,

"I've just been drawing up plans for the assassination of our dear Lord Asano. It would work out so nicely if we could simply sever the head of the snake and watch the body die. But if that is not the case, I have a few factors yet to put into play." She looked up from her papers to Kaya. "You may be of some help to me." She folded up the individual papers neatly. "I want you to deliver this one to the lepers at the forge. Kuroyama, or Ichizen. Or give it to Toki to pass along. If she hasn't been imprisoned, that is."

Kaya, for one, hoped that Toki was still free. The idea of having to run into guards at the door was not something she looked forward to. She took the paper from Eboshi's slim, coal-smudged fingers and recognized the characters for the forge woman's name on them.

"This take to Emi. You can leave it in the shoemaker's storeroom if necessary, but do not attract any notice. These are the instructions to take to Azo. The merchants we traded with there may be friendly to our cause. Emi has been on the route before. She will know what to do and who to talk to. Iron production is beginning to rise again, according to Toki. Asano is working the ladies hard to make up the quota. By the looks of things Asano may be sending an envoy for supplies as early as tomorrow to replenish supplies. It's important that she receive these instructions as soon as possible."

Kaya bobbed her head obediently, but chewed on her lip with nervousness.

"What if I'm caught, my Lady?" she wondered. "What if the enemy gets these letters first?"

Eboshi's expression was stern, the face of a woman who tolerated no mistakes, but reading the fear that must have been growing in Kaya's voice and in her stance, it instantly melted, becoming almost motherly.

"Do your best, Kaya. I would not trust you with this task if I thought you were incapable of it." She held up another sheet of paper with odd words on it. Pheasant, and biwa. Well, and kimono, and moon. "I wouldn't like it if Asano caught drift of my handiwork before I want him to. He will not understand my code. Few people do. Only those to whom I have given commands."

Kaya abandoned her study of the random characters and saw Eboshi's lips curve into a self-satisfied arc.

"My lady, how on Earth did you learn to do this?" she inquired with awe.

"What, to write in code?"

"Not just that," the young woman contradicted. "To make these plans! To actually stage a rebellion! You're not like anyone I've ever met in my entire life."

"Seems a bit unorthodox for a woman, doesn't it?" Eboshi said. She turned to her writing desk and gazed at the unused paper and coal-tipped pencil. Running one graceful finger down the wood grain she confided to her young charge, "You're not the first person to ask me that, but for some reason, I feel like letting you be the first to hear. But I'll only be brief. You have a mission to carry out for me." She met Kaya's eyes once more; her stare would make an eagle back down, Kaya thought, as Eboshi began explaining in her cool, elegant tone.

"I was raised among aristocrats, born to a noble house by the name of Fujiwara. My ancestry can be traced back to that of Akiko, known as the Empress Shoushi, daughter of Fujiwara Michinaga himself. Do you know who he was?" At Kaya's ignorant shake of the head, she continued, "he was regent over all of Japan at the height of the Heian period. He was very cunning and an expert manipulator. His family was well known for marrying its daughters into the imperial line to gain power and for accumulating land. Since then the influence of the Fujiwara has declined, of course, but some of us still graced the court in Kyoto. Even then, contests for power were not much different from how they were in the Heian. My mother even had ambitions to rise back to our old glory. She trained me thoroughly in all of the court intrigues. I also learned a great deal about military tactics from listening to my father. He was a general over the imperial troops for a time, until he was assassinated by a warlord he rubbed the wrong way in his youth."

Kaya did a take. Eboshi was calmly relating all of this to her as if reciting a history. This sort of life was the kind Kaya could only imagine. Aristocrats and court intrigues and…assassinations! Eboshi was hardly fazed, as if these were all just a part of an everyday routine.

"I myself didn't take much pleasure in court life. Rather than end up being a countess or a concubine, I decided to make my own destiny and gain my own power. So I left and went my own way, eventually winding up here, in these lands. I am a firm believer in people creating their own destinies, Kaya. That's why I've gathered so many people from all walks of life, giving them a fresh start here, in Iron Town. I've taken them out of the brothels and the countryside and educated them, showing them that they can really be worth something in this pitiful existence. I think I've done rather well in proving my point. Iron Town has been a bigger success than I dreamed it would be. Of course, there is now the slight matter of removing that fat pig Asano from it….."

Kaya was stunned. Even with the mysteries of Lady Eboshi revealed, she was still incredible. She could hardly believe that someone so strong, so bold, and so wise could really be real. She felt the inexplicable desire to serve her with every last breath. 'She wanted to forge her own destiny and succeeded. I wish I could be as brave as she is. As brave as my brother…..'

"My lady Eboshi," a deep voice interrupted from the door. Gonza's bald head poked into the room, and he came in without permission. He was the only man allowed here, so Kaya was told. Even Koroku wasn't permitted within unless Toki let him. And she let Eboshi run the house to her own will.

"What is it, Gonza?" Eboshi asked quietly, not perturbed by his unannounced presence.

The severe-looking man took in Kaya and made no reply. He seemed impatient, like he was in a hurry and couldn't waste one moment standing still. Obviously whatever he had to say, though, was for Eboshi's ears alone. Kaya was considered a member of the council by Eboshi's leave, but she didn't think the imposing, solid man really trusted her. Or anyone for that matter, save his precious Lady. She didn't have the opportunity to stay and find out what he had to tell Eboshi, for the woman read his tight-lipped silence and excused her, saying,

"Please go deliver those notes for me, Kaya. And keep a sharp eye out."

Kaya held the folded papers in her hands gently so as not to wrinkle them, then slipped them into her wide kimono sleeve. Before scurrying out, she placed her hands neatly in front of her, bowing deeply to her mentor.

"Yes, my Lady."

Author's Notes: Yes, I know it's been about three months or longer since I last updated. Again, sorry, but I've been having some trouble surviving my Semester of Hell, and time for writing has been scarce at best. My thanks to those of you who have been patient and haven't flamed me for being so slow. Hopefully this chapter fits in with the overall plot flow; if it's a bit disjointed, I apologize, and things will be smoothed out when I revamp it after the last chapter's written. Hopefully I'll get more cranked out soon. Again, thanks for all your patience and reviews.

-Yuriko


	19. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 19

Mononoke-hime Continuation

by Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny N.)

Chapter Nineteen

The rough pine bark under San's hands and feet chipped away, scraping at her skin as she climbed the tree. Her hands were already so worn and tough that she hardly noticed the scratches as she nimbly pulled herself up higher, like a little squirrel scurrying over the tree's massive trunk. The towering pine was one of the oldest in the forest; San had been climbing it ever since she was a small pup. Its thick, craggy roots were imbedded deep into the mountain's face, just a short distance above the wolves' cave. The view from its canopy was spectacular. From here, San could see from the lake to the low, rolling slopes in the east, from the northern end of the long valley to the southern, where the storms blew in. The darkening sky and mild, salty scent mixing with pine in the breeze foretold of another tempest on its way. San carried a leaden sense of foreboding in her heart. The storm was coming. But it would not be all rain and thunder.

She reached a branch as thick as the trunks of most other trees and crawled out onto it. The bushy, needly tip swayed to and fro slightly in the wind, and San felt herself swaying with it. She clutched the rough, sweet-smelling bark with hands and feet tightly, until the wave of nausea passed. San was hardly uncomfortable with heights, but it seemed that of late, ever since Ashitaka departed, that she got sick to her stomach frequently. She ate raw meat again, like her brothers--Ashitaka had taught her how to make fire, and though she was skilled at it, the dancing orange and yellow flames made her think too much of him--and it seemed that it no longer agreed with her, even though she'd eaten the flesh of beasts fresh as long as she could remember. She found some plants that, when chewed, helped a bit. Part of her still longed for Ashitaka to return, despite her harsh words, wishing for him to take care of her and just stay with her again. She regretted making him go, and constantly she wondered if he would ever come back after being so rudely treated.

Remembering Ashitaka always pulled down her spirits, so San closed her eyes and chased away the thoughts inside. When she opened them again, the roiling, gray sky overhead and the dark carpet of forest and rocks below brought her back to her purpose here. With the sun hidden behind the clouds, it was hard to keep track of the time, but San felt she was still a bit early. Sitting with her back against the pine's trunk, she sighed and watched the tops of the trees tremble in the wind.

For days since her escape from the gunwoman's house, San pondered the predicament she and her forest were in. Eboshi's bargain began to sound more and more reasonable with each report from the eyes and ears of the forest that Asano was cutting down trees in droves on the south shore of the lake, leaving entire hillsides naked and bare in an amazingly short space of time. The shore was dug up and dirt piled in ugly heaps as Asano's people burrowed into the earth like moles, bringing out rocks and dirt and sand and carried cartloads full of it into the barricaded city. The mice and the weasels brought gruesome tales of men shooting the forest creatures with guns and arrows, not for meat, or even for sport. The badgers said they smelled fear amidst the gun smoke. These men were cowards, and they feared the legend of the princess of the forest. As they rightly should.

Her brothers offered their help--Asano enraged them. With her, they'd waged attacks on the tree cutters, killing men and destroying equipment, but for all their efforts, trees still fell, hewn down like reeds. There were too many enemies, too many fronts. Without help, San would lose her home. As much as she hated to admit it, she would need the humans' help after all, but a hot fire sparked in her soul at the thought of cooperating with the devil woman.

The Great Forest Spirit could not aid them now. San only wished she could see the terror in the eyes of the humans at the sight of the Nightwalker rampaging. But that chance was gone. The forest was on its own now. She entreated the other animal spirits for help. The Wolves were on her side. So were the Mice, the Weasels, and the Owls. The Deer gods were too skittish and couldn't make up their minds. The loss of the Great Forest Spirit left them leaderless and afraid. But the Apes were already fleeing to the north, cowards believing that if they left, man would not follow. However, San had the horrible, sickening feeling that no place was safe anymore. Wherever there were trees and grass and birds, and sparkling lakes of water, men would come. They would always come. They had to be destroyed, here and now. This would be the final battle for the mountains of the west. If she lost the forest, San would not care if she perished along with it. A world without trees and streams and mountains was not worth living in.

A piercing cry carried on the wind, and San looked up to see an enormous eagle wobbling on the gales, fighting them. It drew closer on outstretched wings, angling and dipping until it sunk its talons into the branch, not very far from where San was perched, and the branch bobbed under its weight. The feathers on the eagle's head and neck were dark brown, and its tail was white like new fallen snow. This was Roju, a god of the Eagles. He was easily as big as one of San's full-grown wolf brothers, with a fierce, hooked beak and talons that could take down a full-grown elk in one swipe. Fixing a fierce amber eye on her, he waddled a few steps sideways over to her, opening his large wings a bit for balance.

"Child of Moro," he called her gruffly. "I return to the appointed spot of our meeting. Shii of the Boars is very far north of here, near the edge of the sea. He sends fighters, but they are too far away. They travel for one full moon at their fastest to get here. That is not fast enough, Child of Moro."

San hopes fell. She'd been counting on the Boars, the remnants of Akoto's tribe, to fight with her. They might still be few in number, but without their strength, the task would be nearly impossible. She could not win this war on her own!

"And what about the Eagles?" she asked, knowing her tone sounded anxious. "Will the Eagles join us?"

"I am sorry, Child of Moro," Roju replied. "My tribe is old and fading. Our nests are bare, and we hatch no new chicks, and the humans shoot us out of the skies with their guns. We go our way to fly one last time and die peacefully."

"But you can still fight! I need your help!"

"I am sorry," Roju said again. "But our chief speaks. He says we do not go to battle against the humans." He rubbed his feathery neck against the branch and shifted on talon-tipped feet. When he was done scratching himself, he fixed his angry-seeming eyes on her. "The age of the gods ends. From the valleys of never-ending snow to the sea of warm breezes the humans spread and destruction follows. There is no place in the world for gods anymore. Not even for gods of humans."

San bowed her head in despair. She did not have very many options left. The Mice of the field and Owls and Weasels, her two wolf brothers and herself would be no match for Asano's men. The Boars might be her only hope now to defeat the humans and drive them from the forest.

"My thanks, Roju," she told the eagle god, disheartened.

"Go and die well, Child of Moro," Roju said in parting. His business done, he dropped from the branch and flapped his wings powerfully. The storm winds immediately caught him and lifted him away. San did not stay to watch him go but sullenly climbed back down the tree.

Not really caring what direction she was taking, she wandered listlessly through the trees for a while, every now and then touching one or looking up towards the canopy, imagining the horror of these mountainsides bare and dug up. Thunder rumbled now and again, and the trees rasped as the wind flowed through them, washing her with their sweet perfume. San did not mind the tiny raindrops falling lightly on her skin. Her thoughts were on the forest, on the humans, and on Ashitaka. She truly wished he were there right at that moment, to tell her what to do.

Takiko shivered under Ashitaka's straw cape as tiny trickles of rainwater leaked through it, running down her neck and her back. She clung to Ashitaka's waist for his warmth, though he was practically drenched. From his strange veiled hat to his soft leather shoes, he was soaked. He didn't betray any sign of cold, though. Takiko was miserable, but she knew complaining wouldn't accomplish anything. She tried to find some contentment from holding Ashitaka so close, more than half wishing that wild little wolf girl could see. The rest of her was glad that she was miles away, where she couldn't be reached with the wild girl's knives. Takiko sniffed and trembled some more, raising her eyes to the cloaked sky. The unpredictable hills finally leveled out into a vast green plain, dotted here and there with bushes and trees and the occasional rock larger than a person's head. Somewhere, on the other side of the never-ending stretch of grass, lay the capitol, their destination. Thumbing the deep scar on her cheek wistfully, Takiko wondered what it might be like there, in a real city. She was too young to remember living anywhere else but Iron Town. Whatever it was like, she hoped the roofs didn't leak. She wanted to get out of this dreadful weather as soon as possible. They were getting closer to their goal. Well, Ashitaka's goal. Takiko had no idea what she would do. As it was, she felt like she lived on the road. Never had she missed a soft futon and warm blankets any more than she did now.

The rhythmic hoofbeats of Ashitaka's elk--the jolting, bone-bruising sensations she had gotten used to after prolonged time in the saddle--ceased, and Takiko lifted her head from Ashitaka's back in puzzlement. He was peering through the relentless rain intensely.

"Ashitaka, we can't make camp here," she told the young man in front of her. "The ground's all muddy. And we haven't even had supper yet."

In a composed voice, Ashitaka, muscles suddenly becoming tense in her arms, replied, "We're not alone out here."

Takiko frowned. "What are you talking about? I don't see any--" She gasped as Ashitaka's hand shot out unexpectedly, and she heard a loud smacking sound. Ashitaka opened his outstretched fist. Laying on his palm was a smooth, round stone. Takiko's lips parted, already forming the question, when Ashitaka dug his heels into Yakkuru's sides. The elk squealed and rose up onto his hind legs then took off like a flash of light, feet kicking up sprays of water as he galloped. Ashitaka's cry of "Hold on!" nearly came too late. Takiko heard something whiz by her ear, and crying out, tightened her hold on the young prince.

Thunder growled softly, a low, continuous purr. Takiko looked over past Yakkuru's flank and discovered that the sky wasn't the only thing rumbling. Through the thick rain she saw a band of riders on horseback. She could not make out the details of their hulking forms in the downpour, but the gray shapes began multiplying, and the noise of their horses' hooves was like a cascade, splashing over the soggy grass. One waved a thick arm, and she heard another stone go flying by. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she latched on to Ashitaka. Not more robbers. She and Ashitaka had already been attacked several times, often whenever they passed close by to a village—it seemed that the country was in so much disarray that people could find no better living than try to steal from their neighbors—and Ashitaka had dealt with them swiftly and harshly. But not once had he killed one. Takiko's lip trembled uncontrollably. There had to be at least twenty out there, all mounted. Ashitaka could handle three or four, or even ten, she thought, but against so many adversaries, she began to believe this time they might be the ones killed.

Her foot bounced against the bags of gold strapped to the saddle with their other provisions. Maybe if they just gave the brigands the money they'd go away and leave them alone. Maybe. She hoped they hadn't noticed Ashitaka had a woman with him. Men were cruel, barbarous, and lustful, she'd learned at a great price. Already she'd been raped and humiliated by men. Her body hurt just remembering. She'd slice her own throat before letting it happen again. Her hand crept toward the sack of gold coins Eboshi had given as tribute to the Emperor. Perhaps if she scattered the coins, those thugs would lose interest in them and go for the money instead. Her fingers crept towards the leather cord drawstring.

"Don't," Ashitaka said. "We need that. It's our only bargaining chip with the Emperor."

"But Ashitaka, they'll kill us!" she lamented. She looked back again and immediately wished she hadn't. The many-legged, gray shapes were gaining on them. Some had swords drawn, lifted high in the air like terrifying banners.

"I swear I'll protect you, Takiko! With my life! Please just do as I say! That tree up ahead," he shouted to be heard over the wind and rain rushing against them. "When we go around, jump off and keep low. Run away if you can. I'll try to lure them away."

"What!" Takiko yelled incredulously. "That's crazy! You can't fight all of them! Ashitaka, just give them the money!"

"I can't!" Ashitaka protested. "Just trust me! Untie the bags and keep them with you. Don't let go of them. If it becomes necessary, go alone to Kyoto and please tell the Emperor about what's happening in Iron Town, alright? Now get ready to jump!"

"Hold on!" Takiko responded. With shaking, cold fingers she undid the lashes on the saddlebags while trying to keep her seat on Yakkuru's back. The heavy sack of money and the pouches containing their remaining provisions came off together with much effort, and she held the bundles close under the cloak.

"Almost there!" Ashitaka called, driving Yakkuru on relentlessly.

Rain and hoof beats and Ashitaka's voice pounding in her ears, Takiko grudgingly put her faith in him, but she couldn't possibly see how he'd win against so many armed brigands. He'd be killed, and the robbers would take the money and Yakkuru. Then they'd capture her, and there would be no escape. No rescue. Takiko prayed they wouldn't find her in this driving rain.

Takiko saw a small, bushy tree up ahead. Still racing at his fastest, Yakkuru bolted for it, panting and snorting loudly. Ashitaka pulled back on the reins sharply as they came around, and Yakkuru's hooves slid on the soaked grass.

"Now!" Ashitaka shouted. Takiko threw herself off the elk's back and hit the ground painfully, rolling in water and mud. Ashitaka and Yakkuru took off again, running around the tree and back the way they'd come. Takiko winced and pushed herself up, still clutching their provisions. The gold coins tinkled faintly in her shaking arms. Thankful nothing was broken and that she hadn't been trampled during the young man's wild stunt, she crawled to the base of the leafy tree and peered around the dripping foliage, shivering with cold and anxiety. With another loud crack of thunder, the rain began to let up a bit, if only to diminish to a shower rather than a pelting downpour. Vision was still difficult, especially since her head was still ringing from the fall, but she could make out Yakkuru's rump retreating. Huddling in the long, wet grass, she peeked around the low tree's leaves to see her warrior in action.

Ashitaka took a sharp turn, and Takiko watched the mounted bandits stream after him, taking the bait. The warriors slung stones at him, but Yakkuru was too quick, darting left and right erratically, for any to make their mark. He led them away at a gallop, but it already appeared that Yakkuru was losing his wind; he was built for quick bursts of speed, not for endurance like the band's horses. The robbers were closing in. More than one of them began preparing arrows in bowstrings.

"Run, Ashitaka. Run away..." Takiko urged uselessly. With wide eyes she witnessed the prince reining in Yakkuru abruptly, making the animal rear up on its hind legs. He turned him around and heeled him forward, unsheathing his short sword. Takiko gasped as the archers drew the fletching back to their ears and released the shafts at the lone rider. Even more amazed was she when he batted them out of the way with his sword. How could he even see them so quickly? Her breath caught in her lungs, though, when he charged.

The young man in blue and red sped on elkback to the bandits, sword out and poised. Some of the mounted horsemen fanned out to the side and drew rein at the sight of their quarry racing towards them. A handful of them maintained their course and streamed over the grass to meet him. Her mind clawed on to time, trying to make it stop or at least slow down, but she may as well have tried to lift Mt. Fuji with her fingertips. Ashitaka didn't shy away from his path but kept Yakkuru on a collision course. The first of the bandits and Ashitaka, each on their mounts, galloped closer and closer to each other, blades drawn, and then, in a heartbeat, they smashed into each other.

Takiko covered her eyes hastily for a moment, unwilling to see the result. She heard voices screaming and the shrill whinnies of horses, then more men shouting. Slowly lowering her hands, she peered through her soaked black hair to see men and horses down out on the plain. Still standing was a long-horned elk and rider, trotting around, sword held high. Ashitaka was alive! For the moment.

Some of the bandits' horses reared, and men were shouting angrily. Ashitaka shouted something in return, but they were too far away for her to make out the words. A couple more charged at him. It was clear that no matter how well-armed and equipped this riff-raff was, they were nothing more than that. They were disorganized and didn't seem to know what to do. No doubt they were cowards at heart, Takiko thought. A few of them seemed to want to put as much distance between them and Ashitaka as possible without actually fleeing. She couldn't count the fallen, but more than one horse was without a rider. This young man from the east had formidable strength.

The three or four horsemen attacking Ashitaka rushed him at once, swords drawn. Yakkuru pranced out of the way, enabling his rider to dodge the blows. He reacted like a snake, lashing out and striking his enemies. Takiko watched it horrified fascination. Heads and limbs that had been attached a moment ago were simply...not there. The bandits that weren't dead or knocked out of the saddle came to a stop and shrieked in agony, joining the men on the ground in their shock. Already half the band's number was down. Takiko began to think maybe she and Ashitaka would live to see another dawn after all. But they were not out of the fire yet.

Two of the brigands gave in to their better judgment and heeled their horses away from the brawl without a look back. Takiko was disappointed that more didn't join them. The rest of the band began to spread out. Why didn't they just leave? Couldn't they see that Ashitaka had nothing? Perhaps it was more personal now, with honor on the line. Men could be such fools when it came to honor. Fingernails digging into the flesh of her pale cheeks, Takiko stood by helplessly to see who would claim victory.

Ashitaka continued to entreat the robbers with words, probably hoping for peaceful resolution even now. He stood straight in his saddle while Yakkuru pawed the ground in agitation. The opposition shifted around to form a wide circle around him. Takiko wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. He was still outnumbered, and no doubt those men would be a little more cautious now, after seeing nearly a dozen of their comrades cut down by one man. One man yelled something, and the rest began stringing bows. Catching on to their tactics, Ashitaka must have realized that he could no longer safely stand on the defensive, and he spurred Yakkuru to the nearest bandit.

Surprised by the quickness of Ashitaka's attack, the thick man tried to raise his unloaded bow to block, but there was no contest between Ashitaka's demon-given power and his own pitiful stick. He was slain in one blow, and Ashitaka proceeded to the next without even slowing. This man, too, wasn't ready, still fumbling with his bowstring, and his life was snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Takiko felt sick to her stomach seeing all of the violence unfolding, but she was afraid that, if she should look away, Ashitaka might fail.

Ashitaka felled one more man who was raising his bow. The sight of Yakkuru with his massive horns charging must have spooked his mount. The man's horse bucked and frisked and his hands failed. A stroke of pure luck. There were now only two bowmen left, both of them were ready, taking aim. They were too far apart for Ashitaka to kill both of them. And moving to opposite sides now. The bowman fifty feet in front of Ashitaka fired his shot first, but his skill must not have been with the bow. His shaft flew wide of its target, even at that range. Ashitaka took the opportunity opened up to him and wheeled Yakkuru around, prodding him towards the bowman behind him. He'd hardly gone ten feet before another arrow was loosed at him from this brigand. He deflected it with uncanny precision and kept on charging. The defenseless bandit now realized his position and hastily reached in his quiver for another arrow, having only enough time to bring the fletching up to his ear before Ashitaka cut him down. The young prince had hardly withdrawn his sword from the dead bowman's falling corpse when he arched his back and howled. Takiko had only seen a glimpse of a speck flying through the air from the first brigand, but now a long arrow grew from Ashitaka's torso. His cry died down, but he didn't even pause to gather breath for another one. Heeling Yakkuru's sides hard, he spun around to meet his attacker. The bowman shot off two more arrows at him, but his earlier stroke of luck seemed to have been only for a moment. Perhaps he was too frightened to aim straight. Before he could reload a third, Ashitaka's blade swept at him and took revenge for the arrow now in his chest. The power of the stroke sent the man flying out of the saddle. There was only one brigand left--the one Takiko thought must be the leader of sorts.

All he had was his own sword, and he'd just seen all of his comrades destroyed by a single man. He dropped his blade, screaming something that sounded like a plea, and kicked his horse into flight, dashing away from the scene of carnage. Ashitaka brought Yakkuru to a halt, and Takiko felt warm blood trickle down her skin where she clawed it at the sight of Ashitaka bringing his arm back and hurling his short sword with such force that the blade whistled through the air, cleaving the lone bandit's helmet in half at over a hundred paces. The man's body fell to the earth, and his mount bolted away without him, joining the gang of other horses now ownerless.

Ashitaka and Yakkuru now stood alone on the plain. The rain was just sprinkling lightly now, and the sun had even found a gap through the clouds to shine down. Its rays did not find a pleasing picture, however. Ashitaka wearily slid off the red elk's back and walked slowly to where his weapon was buried in his foe. Takiko's wide, awe-struck eyes followed his every movement. She couldn't even imagine such a sight in her wildest dreams. Her knees shook uncontrollably as she tried to get to her feet, holding the saddlebags to her chest like she was hanging on to dear life. She watched him wipe off his blade on the wet grass and return to Yakkuru. The long arrow still sticking out of him hardly seemed to affect him. Ashitaka merely seemed...exhausted. He sheathed his blade and took hold of Yakkuru's bridle, leading him on foot to the stunted tree where Takiko had been hiding.

After a couple of attempts, Takiko finally found her voice again. Staring at the long, jagged-tipped arrow piercing his chest, she exclaimed,

"Ashitaka, you're wounded!"

Hardly blinking at her statement of the obvious, he reached out his hand to take the saddlebags from her. His eyes seemed dull, glazed over. Takiko wondered if he might be dying, though the injury didn't appear to be fatal.

"We have to keep going" was all he said in a listless tone. She let him take the provisions and the gold, but told him sternly,

"You can't keep on traveling like this! We've got to get that arrow out!"

"I killed them," he said quietly, his words cutting through her agitation like a knife. His features were going pale, but the arrow wound didn't seem to be bleeding too badly. Takiko didn't know much of anything about medicine, but she knew the damage might only look superficial. Ashitaka shouldn't even be moving in his condition, demon strength or not. "They begged me to spare them, but I killed them. All of them."

"They got what they deserved, harassing us like that!" Takiko snapped. "They would have robbed and murdered us if you hadn't done what you did." Truthfully, Ashitaka's strength frightened her to her very core. No man should be able to fight like that. It was incredible. For a few minutes, she'd seen the influence the demon gods had on him. He'd been like a god himself out on that battle field. A god of death. Seeing him in action like that was like seeing a completely different side of him. The savage warrior inside the gentle prince. All the same, as sorry as Ashitaka was for the men he slew in his anger, it had been necessary.

"You've got to let me take that arrow out," Takiko said, unwilling to brook any argument. "You'll just get sick if that wound's not taken care of, especially in this damp!"

Ashitaka stared at her dully for a second then acquiesced with a solemn nod. She spread out his straw cloak, muddy and damp as it was and made him sit down while studying where the arrow was protruding through his shirt. She'd seen how it worked once, when a friend of hers had been shot through the leg by accident in an arching contest. She put her hands on the feathered end of the arrow. Ashitaka winced. For all his strength, he could still hurt. The arrow was as thick as her thumb and as long as her arm. Counting silently in her head and steeling herself to handle the task, she broke off the tail of the arrow. Ashitaka grunted softly, but no more.

"Let's see," she said, trying to think back to the experience with her friend. Next she had to—

Ashitaka wordlessly gripped the pointed end of the arrow and in a quick motion pulled the rest of it through his body, completing its path. Takiko, startled, made a sound very close to a squeak. The young man tossed away the rest of the shaft and moved to get up.

"Ah!" Takiko cried, pushing him down again. "You can't move yet! Not until I clean this up!"

Swallowing hard, she gingerly took his shirt off. The coin-sized hole in his chest was bleeding freely now. Using the best they had--some water from a skin and strip of cloth torn from Takiko's shirt, wet though it was--she dressed and bandaged the wound as well as she could. Ashitaka was tense as a rock as long as she touched him. Takiko would have enjoyed this close contact more had she not just witnessed what he'd done on the field.

"Maybe we should stop here for a while," she suggested. True, this would be a miserable campsite, but it was important for Ashitaka to rest. She seriously doubted the other bandits would come back to trouble them. She herself was still wobbly from attending him. Ashitaka's expression was dejected as he stared down at his knees.

"I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have let my anger take control of me. Now my soul is stained with their blood. But I just couldn't let them stop me from trying to save Iron Town and San…" His voice was on the edge of breaking. Struck by his words, Takiko put her hand soothingly on his bare, uninjured shoulder, but Ashitaka pulled away and grabbed for his shirt, grimacing as he put it on by himself.

"We need to keep moving. We can't afford to waste a single minute. Things between Iron Town and Asano…and the forest…could explode at any time."

"But you're injured! Not to mention all wet and cold," Takiko pointed out.

"It can't be helped," he countered, unwilling to see common sense. He laboriously climbed to his feet, a tad unsteady, and whistled for Yakkuru. He lashed on the saddle bags and pulled himself into the saddle.

"We'll eat on the way," he said, extending her a blood-spattered hand to help her up. "Let's go."

On the lush, green banks of the lake where the Deer God used to dwell, San abandoned her knives, fur cape, and clay domen mask at the base of a skinny, white-trunked tree and padded softly to edge of the water. This place, ringed with towering trees and overgrown with brilliant moss, had an eerie hush to it, like the world held its breath in reverence. Indeed it seemed timeless. The water was still and clear, and the air was cool. Dragonflies like jewels zipped through the air or alighted on the moss. The sun hardly ever shone here, except for where the canopy broke into a patch of sky in the center of the huge pool, giving the solitary island in the middle a heavenly glow. Even though the Deer God no longer graced these pools with his presence, San still felt a sense of awe coming here. Still, the desecration of this sacred place when humans arrived to kill the god of the forest, and the deaths of her mother and the boar god Akoto lingered in her thoughts. On the island in the middle, where there used to be a large, dead tree trunk, new saplings grew of the green mound, a symbol for a new beginning and new life. It was there San had left Ashitaka, shot by his own people's guns, as a sacrifice, only to be surprised when the Deer God restored his life. Even more astounded was she when the Deer God himself, in a wordless voice beyond all description that filled her mind, told her and one of the Elk Tribe, Yakkuru, to take care of him.

San looked down the gentle slope leading to the water at the spot where Moro had fallen, just after saving her life when she was caught by Akoto in his demon form. Her heart swelled terribly with pangs of grief missing the she-wolf who'd raised her. Now she had gone the way of all things that live and die, but San could still feel her presence near sometimes, especially in this place. Going down to the spot, she knelt down on the dark, thick grass and brushed it with the palm of her hand.

"Mother," she whispered, a hot tear or two falling from her eyelid to the grass.

A stray wind from the passing storm swept through the sanctuary, whipping at leaves and spreading ripples on the glistening water. San heard a faint rattling noise, somewhere up above. Looking for the source, she caught sight of a kodama high in a moss-covered tree, one of the little forest spirits that inhabited the forest. San was a bit surprised. Even though the forest had grown lush and beautiful again after the battle with the humans, the kodama were scarce. It had been a long time since she'd seen one. Maybe they were too afraid to show themselves, after what happened. Now seeing a kodama was extremely lucky. San hoped so. She needed all the luck she could get.

"Don't worry, little one," she said to it. "I'll fight to protect you. I'll fight to protect all the forest spirits." And the memories of the Great Forest Spirit and my mother, she added silently. I'll do it, even if they won't help me. Even if it means siding with the murderers.

With stony resolve she trotted up to retrieve her weapons and mask and donned them, running from the peaceful place to find her brothers.

The journey to Iron Town was not an unfamiliar one. San stood with her wolf brothers at the verge of the forest, where the mountain curved, becoming a grassy field, to the lake below. Moonlight was bright in the sky tonight, giving the lake a silvery sheen. It reflected off of her brothers' white coats, too. They looked like ghosts slinking out of the forest. San stared down at the huge, ugly hump sitting out on the water. It was lit up with a myriad of sparkling lights, but they did little to improve the human town's beauty. San could almost smell Asano's stench and the smoke of his forge and mines, and her stomach did a turn. She hunched down, clutching her stomach, and vomited without warning. One of her brothers nudged her side with his cold nose, growling,

"If you are sick you should not go, San,"

Tearing up some grass to wipe her mouth clean with, San shook her head.

"No, I'm going."

Her other brother came around and licked her shoulder in concern. They didn't like this idea any more than she did, but they were willing to follow her lead. San patted his furry neck and slowly stood. She felt a little light-headed, but it was already starting to fade. She had to do this. She wouldn't turn back.

She touched the hard, demonic-looking domen mask on her head and pulled it off, leaving it in the grasses crowding the bases of the trees. She laid her spear next to it, regretfully. Feeling the edges of the long knives tucked on the belt around her waist and the leather, waterproof pouch she also carried with her, she took off down the hill at a quick, low run. Most of the watchtowers where the humans looked out over the land were at the main entrance of the town. The back of the walled settlement was to water. From the rear would she infiltrate. A narrow beach and thick, high walls made the threat of attack from that side a small one. All the better that they would not to be watching.

San slowed at the water's edge. The tide gently lapped at her feet, and as quietly as a whisper, she waded into the water. It was cold, but not freezing, and San was used to cold. She slipped under the water and began swimming towards the hump of land called a town, bobbing up every few moments for air and to check her course. After what seemed like an hour, she finally touched mushy sand and clumped underwater plants. She scrambled up the bank and shook off the dripping water and wrung it from her dress. She withdrew one of her knives out of her belt, too, and clenched it in hand.

Looking up, San could see the high timbers that shielded Iron Town from enemy invasion. But immediately in her way was the jumbled-looking nest of sharpened logs like stakes that barricaded the settlement. San stared at them, rather unimpressed, and tucked away her knife again, slinking up and over them. Scaling the walls would be a little more difficult, but not impossible. The pouch also hanging from San's belt contained a coil of twine woven from plants and animal sinew. The end was tipped with a three-pronged hook baked from the same clay as her domen mask. San looked up the wall of the citadel, wondering if her rope would be long enough to reach the top of the timber wall. Taking up the coil of thin twine, she twirled the heavy, hooked end and released it upward, watching it take off like a bird. The other end just about jerked out her hand, but the prongs caught on to the pointed timbers and held fast. She gave the twine a firm tug; it seemed alright. Steadying one foot against the solid wall, she took hold of the twine and prepared to haul herself up the sheer wall.

A scraping noise caught her attention before she even started up. It was close, coming down from the jumble of timbers under her feet. Letting go of her rope momentarily, San drew both blades in a flash and crouched down low on the logs, ready to pounce on whoever might

attack. There was some more scraping and scuffling, then a brown-haired head popped into view. A girl about San's age squeezed through the stout timbers. Once out, she reached into the space she'd sprouted from and pulled out a bucket. Something was familiar about this girl in a dark, reddish-brown dress about as fine as her own. It only took a second to place her.

"Kaya."

The young woman, startled at having her name called, obviously unexpectedly, jumped like she'd been pinched. She spun around and looked at San above her. Her blue eyes were as big as hawk eggs for an instant until she recognized the other, and a relieved smile spread on her face.

"San!" she said in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here?"

San, still a trifle uncomfortable around humans she wasn't well familiar with--or anyone but Ashitaka--kept her face smooth and stoic.

"I'm looking for Eboshi."

"Lady Eboshi?" Kaya repeated, puzzled. "Why?"

San's lip twisted down a little. "I...I'm here to help her," she admitted.

Kaya didn't read much into her discomfort. Actually, she seemed excited.

"Really? That's great! You're just what we need! Hold on a second, I just need to go fetch some water from the lake."

A bit surprised at her enthusiasm, San waited impatiently for her to come back with the bucket full of water.

"Where'd you come from?" San inquired curiously.

"Oh, there's a secret passageway under these logs," Kaya answered. "There are lots like it all around Iron Town. This way, we can get in and out without Asano or his men even knowing."

San had to hand it to Kaya and the other humans. A clever trick indeed, burrowing underground like moles. It would certainly be quicker than clambering up the wall surrounding the town.

"Can you take me to Eboshi?"

"Sure!" Kaya chirped softly. Just follow me!"

Stepping carefully so she wouldn't slosh around the water she'd just gathered, Kaya got into the space between the sharpened timbers first, bringing in the water after her. It wasn't a very large tunnel, and San was a little hesitant about entering--she didn't like tight, confined spaces--but Kaya wriggled in like a badger. Unwilling to let a human, even Ashitaka's sister, prove herself braver than she, San abandoned her former idea and crawled in headfirst, trusting in the young human girl to take her to her destination.

The tunnel turned out to be shorter than she thought, and when she came out at the other end, she found herself in a small cavern underground. The walls and floor were earthen, and it was dark, but at least she wasn't being pressed on all sides by dirt. It was much easier to breathe here.

"This used to be a root cellar," Kaya explained. "This way." San couldn't see, but she felt Kaya's hand searching for hers. She grasped San's forearm and pulled her through the darkness a few steps. "There's a ladder here," Kaya told her. "Just feel for it." She put San's hand on a cool rod of metal. San felt the bars and heard Kaya say, "Wait. Better let me go first. They're expecting me, not you." The young woman climbed up the ladder, spilling a few drops of water from her bucket onto San's head, but San was already damp, so she didn't care. There was a hatch at the top of the ladder. Kaya tapped on it, and San heard a metallic grinding noise in response. Suddenly light pour down from the hole above. A mellow light, but bright to her eyes nonetheless. Kaya pushed her bucket to the top and pulled herself out, reaching down a hand to help San after a moment. San squinted as she emerged, then realized they were not alone in this new chamber. Out of pure instinct she reached for her knife, at the same moment Kaya talked to the other human woman standing there, saying,

"Toki, I've brought Princess Mononoke with me. She wants to see Lady Eboshi. She's going to help us fight Lord Asano!"

"What?" this other woman asked incredulously.

"She said so herself! Where's Lady Eboshi?"

Toki's mouth worked for a moment. Eboshi had not told many people of their pact, San noticed.

"Kaya, are you sure this is safe? I know your brother loves her, but can she really be trusted?"

"My brother trusts her," Kaya said in San's defense. "That's enough reason for me."

Toki stared at San and Kaya dubiously for a several moments. "Fine, but I'm going with you. Just to make sure she doesn't cause any trouble." The look she gave San was a hair's width short of a warning. San glared back at her flatly. Kaya left her bucket by the secret door and followed Toki's lead. The older woman glanced back over her shoulder frequently but said nothing as she took them up a short flight of wooden stairs that led to a room lined with wooden planks. It was full of junk and barrels and sacks of food. Another staircase took them up again, this time to a room in a house. Toki moved to the translucent sliding door covered in paper and paused, looking at San.

"Leave your weapons here," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. "I won't take you to Eboshi armed."

San scowled at her until Kaya entreated,

"Please?"

Still staring down Toki, she untied her belt and dropped it by the door. Toki picked it up and put them in a basket next to the wall, covering it with a cloth.

"You can have those back later," she said.

"Where is Eboshi?" San demanded. "Take me to her now."

"Eboshi's not here," Toki responded sharply. "This house belongs to one of our resistance members. And keep quiet. We don't wanna get caught by any of Asano's strong-arms on your account."

"Or at all," Kaya added meekly. "Asano's mad enough to spit nails. Your attacks on his men in the logging camps haven't gone unnoticed."

"Or unpunished," Toki added. "Asano's already taken all our money. Now he's putting anyone who speaks against him to work in the mines under the mountain. And if you don't step quick enough or bow just so deep or obey whatever orders his thugs belt out, well...public demonstrations of discipline are becoming a daily event." She padded softly over to a closet where extra bedding and blankets were kept and pulled out a cotton yukata. "Put this on," she instructed, tossing it over San.

San sniffed at the thing. It had a potent flowery scent mixed with the smell of humans that made it rather unpleasant, and her stomach threatened to roll again. She looked at Toki stubbornly, but Toki's features were set in a stern, narrow-eyed frown. San grudgingly complied, although the garment was too large for her and brushed the ground.

"Follow me," Toki said, opening the slide door. "And don't talk."

Kaya patted San on the shoulder gently before taking her hand and leading her through the sliding doors. Toki trotted down the steps of the porch into the dusty street. The moon was in a different position, but just as bright, lighting their way along with the streetlamps and glows from the windows of houses and shops lining the road. The place was more or less deserted, it seemed, except for passing clusters of men in red and white, in twos and threes, all armed and peering every which way. Women on errands doing their last minute shopping strode quickly by, as quiet as they, and men came out of taverns, smelling strongly of drink. San wanted her blades at her side, at hand, but Toki acted nonchalant and walked purposefully but nonchalantly to their secret hiding place. Careful not to arouse suspicion, despite wanting to fight Asano's men even if she had to do it with her bare hands, San kept up with Toki and Kaya, who still would not let go of her hand. Did she think San would fly off that witlessly? Kaya meekly kept her eyes on the ground as Toki led the way. San did her best to copy her.

Before long, Toki paused before a particular shop. She turned her head both ways to scan the streets. Finding them clear, she quickly ducked under the curtain over the doorway, with Kaya and San in tow. San wrinkled her nose at the acrid stench inside the human building. The smell of leather was strong here, as well as that of chemicals and grease and metal. The room was black except for the tiny bit of weak light coming through the entrance, but Toki's whisper in the darkness told San and Kaya to keep close. Ears and nose trained and searching for any indication of attack or betrayal, San slowly and warily pursued her.

"Gah!" she gasped, when she banged her thigh hard onto something hard and cold. She reached down and felt the cold, flat surface of a metal black. It pointed at one end. She had no idea what it was for, or why a human would just leave it out here. Rubbing her bruising leg sullenly, she was tugged along blindly by Kaya.

The noisy creak of a door opening set her on edge, but she felt someone's arm--Toki's probably—push her along. Nearly tripping over Kaya and the ridiculously long yukata she was forced to wear, San sought her balance and heard the door creak again. A couple of seconds later, something hissed, and before she knew it, a bright little flame burst into existence on the end of a long, thin stick between Toki's fingers. She used it to light candles on shelves lining the tiny room they were in. All sorts of strange human objects hung around them, most of them iron. Barrels that gave off the muted scent of the same foul stuff as in the other room crowded the floor.

"What is this place?" San asked in a hush, but Toki put a finger over her own lips, with a warning glare.

The older woman squeezed between a couple of barrels and rapped on the wall with her knuckles in a short, rhythmic pattern. The wall budged, and San tensed up. Kaya showed no visible sign of surprise, however, so she took a deep breath and steadied herself. The wall lined with shelves and things made of metal rotated, making rough, scraping sounds. Then a black-haired human head with an elongated, sharp-looking nose poked out from behind the partition.

"You had us startled for a moment, Toki," another woman said quietly. "We were just having a private meeting, and we heard a noise out there and thought maybe Asano had caught on."

Toki directed a displeased glance at San. "Sorry for the worry, Eiko. Our guest's a tad bit clumsy."

"Hm?" The woman named Eiko followed her glance and saw Kaya and San back behind the barrels. Her eyes went wide as she took in San's features and her jaw dropped as she choked,

"Princess Mononoke! Toki, are you mad!"

Toki opened her mouth to speak, but a cool voice penetrated Eiko's panic.

"Let me by, Eiko. It's perfectly safe, I assure you."

San bristled at the familiar voice that sounded like a flowing brook. Eiko had to squeeze out and find a place to stand among the barrels, eventually just hopping onto one and watching everyone like a wildcat on a boulder. Another pale-faced woman emerged from the hiding place behind the wall. Her face was all too familiar, and San wanted to growl. When last she'd seen that face, it had been taunting her from behind a locked door. Those blue eyes meeting hers were almost mocking. She wore a smile, but San frowned in displeasure as the eminent Lady Eboshi made her appearance.

"It's about time, Princess Mononoke," Eboshi said cooly. San only smelled unwavering confidence coming from her. In any other animal, San would have called it madness. "I was beginning to think you'd turn tail on our little agreement."

San scowled darkly. "I have more honor than a pitiful human like you, One-Arm."

Eboshi did not even flinch at the remark. "That is good then, because I need you. I'll not waste my time or yours. Word has just come to us that one of our women, Murasaki, has gone missing. She was high in our confidences, and now no one knows where she has gone. We are hoping that our confidences in her were not wrongly placed."

"You want me to catch weasels for you?" San replied incredulously.

"No. Leave that to us. I have something else in mind for you." Her smile took on a hint of a sneer, though it was so slight almost as to be unnoticeable. "I trust your...recruiting efforts...have been somewhat successful?"

San's stomach churned, but she kept her face straight as she answered. "Leave that to me." She hardly wanted this woman to know just how little support she had from the animals she was fighting so desperately to protect. "What do you want?"

"I'll keep this simple," Eboshi said smoothly. "Your job is to keep Asano distracted. You've been doing well attacking the mills and outskirts so far, but not good enough. Start harrying his mercenaries at the mines. Even within the walls of Iron Town, if you can. But leave Asano to me. If he even begins to believe we're up to something--and I'm not surprised by now if he is--then this whole affair will be cut off shortly. And I assure you, we'll all find our necks under a sword." Her eyes narrowed, and they resembled shards of ice. "I want you to be such a thorn in his heel that he can scarcely think of anything else. You and your...animals. I cannot spare any of my own women and men to assist you. I need them here under my command."

San's anger was on a slow boil, rising. Her teeth were clenched so tightly they hurt. So that was it? San couldn't say she was really surprised. Eboshi wanted to use her as bait, not get her own hands dirty. San and all the creatures of the forest could go to the underworld, for all the woman cared, so long as she could keep her own precious town. Even though she hated being used like a worm on a hook, San knew she'd continue fighting Asano and his men as long as she had breath in her body. But the fact that she was playing right into Eboshi's hands infuriated her.

"Fine," she growled. "I'll whittle away his people, though I can't guarantee the safety of yours."

"I'm sure you'll be extremely careful," Eboshi responded in a tone very like a threat. The iciness in her eyes burned.

"And I will take care of Asano," San informed her. "Get rid of him and this whole war will end quickly."

"No," Eboshi protested. "Get rid of him and we'll have thousands of mercenaries all with their own plans and wills, each as greedy as Asano if not more so. Cut off the head of the snake and even more will sprout. I'd rather have all of Asano's swords still obedient to him, as long as they think they can get something for it. Getting rid of Asano prematurely will only leave us with an even bigger mess."

San felt like grumbling. Eboshi would dispose of her so easily and take the glory for herself. San had another idea in mind. She would not be so neatly used and put away at the devil woman's pleasure. This whole truce was beginning to sound less and less like an alliance and more and more like a game with San a piece in the one-armed woman's hand.

Another woman showed her face from behind the wall and whispered something inaudible to the gunwoman.

"I'll be there shortly," Eboshi replied, then turned her attention back to San.

"Leave a signal for us if you wish to speak with us again, and Kaya or Toki will meet with you. I have my own work to attend to now. I suggest you continue on with yours." She smiled only to show teeth. "I'll be keeping an eye on your progress. Farewell for now, Princess." Without another word, she ducked back behind the opening wall. Toki stared at Kaya as though communicating a silent message, then followed after. The wall scudded shut again behind her, and the place looked perfectly normal again.

Kaya sighed. She looked troubled. She smelled like it, too. No doubt she was as preoccupied with all of this as San was. San bit her tongue angrily. She would prevail against the humans. And Asano would die at her hand.

"Come, San," Kaya said meekly. "I'll take you back for your things then show you to a secret tunnel that will lead you out of here and back home safely."

San looked one last time at the moving wall. Doubts were overflowing in her mind and heart, but she silently went with Kaya, mentally working on her own plans.


	20. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 20

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny N.)

Chapter Twenty

The willow-thin young man before Asano shrunk nervously, clutching a piece of rolled up parchment in his waxy, pale hands. He didn't look much older than a child, evidenced by the thin mustache above his lip. Decked out in Asano's colors, he tried to stand straight and present himself bravely, though Asano could tell he was more than reluctant to deliver whatever message it was he had for him. Asano glanced down at the glass of sake balanced between his fingers—it was poor stuff, but there wouldn't be anything better until the supply train returned from Azo. It was taking an awfully long time. He'd ordered it sent days ago, but there was still no sign of its return on the road. Asano wondered what was keeping it. The Kawashimo party was late as well.

"…..watchmen still haven't discovered Lady Eboshi's whereabouts," the young man babbled. "There is still an around-the-clock order for her arrest."

That was another matter eating away at Asano's attention. The hawk's escape had been too subtle, too quick. She slipped past all of his guards like water through a sieve, disappearing like smoke. It was difficult to tell whether or not her followers had freed her, or if she had acted alone. It was quite the puzzle. Ever since her absence, however, the people of Iron Town were acting up. Word of street brawls was becoming ordinary to his ears now, and the jail was nearly full to capacity. Idly, Asano pondered whether or not he should just punish insubordination with beheading. That might keep those peasants quiet.

As if that wasn't bothersome enough, production was at its lowest. Despite the rich reserves of iron hidden under the mountains surrounding the lake, the forge was barely making quota. Eboshi had been far too easy on the riffraff of this town—they were all a bunch of lazy, worthless shifters living off his hard-won resources. If he didn't need workers for the mines and lumber mills so badly, he'd just as soon expel all of them from Iron Town.

"My lord," the young man continued, "we've also received word….." The boy was definitely nervous. A sure indication of unpleasant information to come. As if he needed any more. He took a sip of his drink and scowled at the messenger boy, causing him to wring the paper in his hands fit to tear it.

"The supply train bound for Kawashimo has returned, but…..has encountered some losses."

"Losses?" Asano replied gravely. "What do you mean?"

"The…..the supply train encountered some brigands while returning to Iron Town. The party leader was killed, as well as six of the ten men accompanying. One of the survivors reported they were ambushed by—"

"Let me guess," Asano interrupted, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily, "a wolf demon with a red mask and wild animals under her command?" Such was the story becoming commonplace among his ranks of mercenaries and the citizens of Iron Town. Truthfully, Asano was becoming quite bored with it.

"No, my lord," the young man answered. "A band of men, all dressed in black from head to toe, wearing white masks."

"Common thieves, then," Asano speculated.

"My lord, they used rifles against us. With iron bullets."

Asano put down his sake glass and sat back in his cushioned chair to take this into account. Iron Town was the only mine in the whole province, and Eboshi had dealt with weapons in her trading. But this whole thing reeked with suspicion. There was something more going on here. He could feel it in his skin.

"Anything else?" he demanded of his young charge. The boy was turning a near shade of white. He looked like he might be sick.

"We lost nearly everything from the train," he said. "The brigands completely raided it."

Asano's eyes wandered to the bottle of cheap sake on the table next to him. If the supply train to Azo suffered similarly, then it would become even more difficult to support the ten thousand troops he had stationed in and around Iron Town. They were already on rations.

"Then take what we've lost out of the people of Iron Town. Give the order to my general. Anyone who resists will be thrown in jail. And have the foremen at the mine increase the output of production. These lazy slugs will just have to work harder to make up for our…..losses."

The messenger swallowed hard. No doubt he, like Asano, was imagining the reaction of the mining town's residents. Asano would not be mocked, though. These people would learn their place, and they would learn who was in charge. One way, or another.

"Yes, my lord," the boy with the thin mustache said slowly. "As you wish." He turned to go, but Asano stopped him with his words.

"What news of this Ashitaka? It has been days since he escaped. Has he been found yet?"

"No, my lord," his informant replied. "None of the men hired to kill him have returned. There's been no word at all about him."

"Well, he's probably dead in the wilderness," Asano said. "I doubt he poses very much of a problem." He chewed on his lip for a moment then barked, "Go find Azuma. Tell him I want to see him. Now!"

The messenger was only too happy to comply and practically ran from Asano's chamber. Asano grabbed the whole bottle of sake and poured the colorless liquor down his throat. News of the supply train situation was disheartening indeed. Added to the small matter of Eboshi's and Ashitaka's disappearance, the slack in iron production, and the attacks on the mills and mine…..it was enough to drive any man to drown himself in drink.

Within a few minutes there was a knock on the carved, wooden doors. Asano called in his guest, and a tall, barrel-chested man with a jet-black topknot and face that seemed set in stone sauntered in.

"Azuma," Asano greeted him. His appointed general and master of the art of fighting, Azuma had been picked up on a military maneuver in the north against the Ainu. That had been nearly twenty years ago. He still served Asano to this day. He was a very capable strategist and had trained men in Asano's army for years. He wasn't much of a conversationalist, though, and if Asano hadn't known the man had a wife and child long, long ago, he would have thought him to be completely indifferent when it came to women. The man really was made of stone.

Azuma bowed before him, and Asano invited him to take a seat on a floor cushion.

"What is becoming of the mills?" Asano inquired.

Azuma shook his head grimly. "I've increased the guard around the river and East Fork stations, but those wild beasts have totally wrecked the main mill. It will take weeks to repair. The minor stations are still in operation, but the townspeople are afraid to penetrate into the forest. 'Princess Mononoke' is constantly on their lips."

Without warning, Asano threw the sake bottle as hard as he could. It shattered against the carved doors with a loud crash, leaving a dent behind in the wood grain.

"They are only a little girl and a bunch of rats and weasels!" he shouted. Azuma did not so much as twitch a cheek muscle, but he did reply after a thoughtful moment,

"For one little girl and a bunch of weasels, they have caused quite a lot of damage. Enough to almost completely halt lumber production on the northern slopes. I do not believe she will be content to merely burn a mill and harass a few loggers and then quit. The people refer to her as the princess of beasts and ancient gods, guardian of the forest. I do not believe she will be content until ever mill is destroyed and every man who lays an axe to a tree is killed."

Asano gripped the armrests of his chair until his knuckles were white, and he spat lividly,

"I want her taken care of, Azuma. She's nothing more than a feral brat, so set a trap for her. I want her found and eliminated, even if you have to scour the entire forest. Kill every beast and creature that moves if you have to!"

"Yes, my lord," Azuma responded in a calm tone. He paused before rising and asked, "Anything else?"

Asano growled and sprang off the chair. Striding over the fine woven rugs to the shards of glass by his door, he snapped furiously before storming out of the room,

"Have this mess cleaned up, and another bottle of wine brought up!"

Ashitaka was trapped, locked in a nightmare he couldn't escape. Part of him knew he was sleeping, but the visions of horror before his eyes seemed all too real. A man in armor, mounted on a horse, dropping his sword and begging for mercy. Begging Ashitaka to spare him. Ashitaka desperately tried to claw his way out of the dream, but he felt rooted to the spot, seeing over and over again the vision of himself charging at a gang of bandits, ruthlessly cutting them down. He as bathed in their blood. Their dying screams echoed loudly in his memory's ears.

'San, help me!' he cried, then found himself in an altogether different place. A little village, one he knew and loved dearly. The light from the sky was pale gray and eerie. The air was still. Too still. Ashitaka felt like he was floating among huts and lodges, and beneath him were corpses. Men and women and children he'd grown up with. People with names he knew. They littered the ground like fallen wheat. The silence was disturbed by the harsh cries of ravens. He looked up to see a swarm of them soaring and wheeling overhead, covering the sky until all was darkness.

'No,' Ashitaka pleaded. 'I don't want to see this anymore!'

As if the dream was cruelly mocking him, Kaya's lifeless, blood-covered form came into view ahead of him, on the stairs of the village's shrine. His little sister, dead. All of them, dead. Just as abruptly, Ashitaka felt himself yanked from that dream and plunged into another.

This one was more familiar, but the feel of the dream changed. It was somehow different from all the other ones. Standing on the edge of the great forge's roof in Iron Town, Ashitaka saw the mountainsides ablaze around the lake. People were fighting down in the street, dying left and right. The scent of smoke was heavy on the air. He suddenly realized something was grasping both his arms. He looked to his left to see Eboshi, stern, cool features looking determined, like they were carved from marble. On his right was San jerking his forearm. Her blue eyes were blazing angrily, and she looked as unrelenting as Eboshi on his other side. With her other hand she pushed against his chest, palm pressing the bluish-purple crystal dagger that was tied around his neck to his flesh. Ashitaka felt drawn into her face. He missed it so much. He could feet his heart beating against the cool crystal.

A tickling in the back of Ashitaka's mind snatched his attention. He looked ahead to see Asano, armored and wearing a samurai's curved sword at his belt, approaching menacingly. His expression was alight with triumph, and his gait was leisurely slow. Between Eboshi and San, neither of whom seemed to even see the danger approaching, Ashitaka was stuck. Neither woman wanted to let go of him.

In boots a dull shade of red like the rest of his armor, Asano drew near them until he was right before Ashitaka. Helpless, Ashitaka followed his movements with his eyes, saw him unsheathe the curved sword. In one flowing motion he swung it over his shoulder. The air hissed as he brought it down with all the force of his arm. Ashitaka watched in speechless shock as the blade fell upon Eboshi. She hardly made any noise as she fell in a lifeless heap. Her pale fingers slipped off of Ashitaka's sleeve like rain off a leaf. Asano was raising his sword again, this time his eyes latched on San.

'No!' Ashitaka yelled, finally finding his voice. With his free hand he reached for his short sword, whipping it out barely in time to counter Asano's blade. Their swords rattled against each other as their bearers tried their strengths.

'San, you have to let go!' he insisted to the woman who didn't seem to realize the peril they were in. Her gaze still bore into his, and her palm drove the crystal dagger forcefully into his chest. Her fingers were clamped tightly onto his forearm.

Asano's strength won out, and Ashitaka was thrown down, and San with him. Before Ashitaka could even think, Asano's heavy boot came down on his blade, pinning it flat against the roof shingles. Ashitaka kicked at his armor, but to no avail. In one swift thrust Asano's sword pierced San through her midsection, skewering her like a worm on a fishhook. Her blue eyes bulged, and her mouth opened and closed silently for a few moments, and then she went limp.

'SAAAAAN!" Ashitaka screamed, uncalled tears pouring from his eyes. Her clear blue eyes were frozen opened, slowly filling with the hazy mist of death.

Asano laughed at the deed, but the sound was carried up in the roar of flames and battle below. He pulled the tip of his bloodied blade out of San and positioned it over Ashitaka's chest, ready to strike again. Rage and hatred flared in Ashitaka's heart, hotter than the flames consuming the town below. Asano was killing everyone he loved, destroying everything they'd worked and fought for! Why was he so blinded by his unhampered greed, to the extent of causing everyone so much misery? To taking the lives of the one he loved! He would not allow it! Ashitaka ripped his right hand free of San's lifeless arms, grabbing the blade even as it sought to impale him.

The sharp edge of the blade bit his palm, and blood ran in rivulets down his arm, but he could not feel any pain except for the agony in his heart over losing San. Was he even dreaming any longer? He couldn't be sure. The demon power coursed through his veins, fanned by his hate and anger, making him stronger and stronger. So much that he snapped Asano's samurai blade in two, and Asano flew backwards as if blown away by an unseen wind, skidding across the flat-roofed forge and rolling head over heels till he came to a graceless stop. Ashitaka stood, flexing his fingers around the hilt of his short sword. His eyes fell on San, where she lay dead near Eboshi. He crouched down at her side, stroking her cheek with the back of his bloody hand, but her skin was already cold, like she'd been dead for hours. His heart felt like molten iron in his chest, and the pain spread, till it reached his fingertips, and his head, and his waist. He was pain. He was fury. And Asano was his!

Suddenly the roof of the forge gave way under his feet, and the air seemed alive with flames and smoke and debris. He was falling, falling alone amidst the wreckage, to the battle below. And his only thought was that he would not have his revenge on Asano. He spiraled down as the dream began to evaporate, and felt ground beneath him.

With a start Ashitaka opened his eyes and sat up. He clutched the shoulder that the bandit's arrow had pierced. It was throbbing excruciatingly, a steady, even pulse. It must be infected. Maybe that was the cause of these horrid visions. He felt as if the barb was striking him all over again. And again and again. Ashitaka glanced at Takiko, huddled up under his matted cape. She must be cold. There wasn't much wood on the plains for a fire, and what they found was too soaked from the storms to use. The air was brisk and chilly, with a light vapor of mist in it. Ashitaka shivered on the damp, rumpled grass, but not from the cold. The wound in his shoulder felt like flame. The sky was light enough now to see by, if totally blanketed by clouds. Ashitaka doubted he would have been able to fall asleep after all those nightmares, anyway. The images of Iron Town burning and San dying were still fresh behind his eyes.

Climbing laboriously to his feet, he tried not to wince as movement painfully seared his chest. Yakkuru was standing nearby, still saddled in case Ashitaka and Takiko needed to flee quickly. He was already awake and nibbling at the tender green shoots of grass at his feet. He swiveled his great horned head toward Ashitaka and pricked up his ears, whickering softly when his master rubbed his forehead. Ashitaka patted the elk, who idly went back to his breakfast, and unlashed the water jug from the saddle. Cool, fresh rainwater sloshed around delightfully within as Ashitaka unstopped it, gingerly removing the bandage around his shoulder and rinsing out the old, crusted blood and dirt. He pressed the dripping cloth to the wound, dabbing it gently, sighing with relief as it took off some of the heat.

He tended his shoulder for a few minutes, wiping the unbroken skin as best he could. He wrinkled his nose in puzzlement at some of the stain that would not come off. He touched it with his fingers, tracing the blotches that marred his skin. The dark, angry patches of purplish red looked like infection, but they seemed…..odd.

"Ashitaka?" Takiko's sleepy voice distracted him. He looked up and saw her standing in front of him, shivering under the heavy, sodden cape. "I'm hungry," she announced.

Ashitaka handed her the bag of provisions. All they had left now was deer jerky, and not much of it. Only a few small strips left. Of course, when Ashitaka left, he hadn't planned on taking an extra mouth along with him. Takiko stared inside the bag dubiously. The pouting frown on her face in addition to the dirt smudges and her rumpled clothing made her look miserable.

"I've already eaten," Ashitaka lied. "You can have the rest."

Takiko planted herself down on the cold ground with him, alternating between trying to keep the cloak around her shoulders and feeding herself. Her long, black hair clung to her face and neck, and her skin was nearly white. She looked a wreck, but at least she was not complaining as much as at the start of their journey. Her futile wishing for a bath was reduced to now just once or twice a day.

"We should reach Kyoto before sunset today," Ashitaka informed her, and she perked up a little, even smiling slightly. The rest of their conversation was silence until Takiko inquired,

"How does your shoulder feel?"

"Alright," Ashitaka answered, though it was far from the truth.

She leaned forward and looked at it closely. "It doesn't look good. Well, we'll be in town soon, and a doctor can take care of it then. I'll just bandage it up for now."

Ashitaka allowed her to bind up the wound with taut nerves, but he was not so concerned now over her touching him as he was the wound itself. He highly doubted any doctor would possess the knowledge to mend this. The bruised-looking mark spreading throughout his shoulder was more than just infection. It was a curse.

'How can this be happening again?' he wondered anxiously. It was an injury much like this that had prompted his journey westward to Iron Town in search for a cure over a year ago. Why was it occurring again? He couldn't be sure, but one thing he could be certain about--the arrow wound he received from the brigands was no ordinary wound. He didn't think he could hurry any more quickly to Kyoto and back, but now he had even more reason for speed. With the curse this close to his heart, he'd surely die soon. He prayed it would not be before he could return with help for Iron Town, before he could see San again. Ashitaka noiselessly ground his teeth as the pain in his shoulder flared anew. He thought he could almost feel the purplish swath spreading.

Takiko dragged her feet as Ashitaka called her over to Yakkuru. Only the hope of seeing civilization by the end of the day motivated her to keep going. That and Ashitaka's strong, safe, wonderful presence. Her mortification and disbelief at seeing his power in action had gradually faded into an even deeper admiration and appreciation for him. She still held a seed of hope inside that she might persuade him yet to stay with her. They could begin a new life together in Kyoto and live worthily of their stations. And Ashitaka could be hers. Hers alone.

By rote she climbed up onto Yakkuru's back behind him and wrapped her arms around Ashitaka's middle as he booted the animal into a decent run. Her stomach still grumbled, but looking at the scenery flowing past them, she didn't see anything promising that could be food. She'd asked Ashitaka before to pause and hunt for a rabbit or some quail for them to eat, but Ashitaka refused, not wanting to waste any time on the way. It looked like she'd be hungry until Kyoto. She hoped Ashitaka hadn't been exaggerating their time of arrival.

It was hard to track the passage of the day. The cloud cover never broke up once. The whole landscape was illuminated with an odd gray light, and a steady, cool wind was flowing from the north. Every now and then they would sight a tree or a bush, and Ashitaka would let Takiko off when she had to relieve herself. Once in a while Ashitaka reined in Yakkuru to let him rest, but other than that he kept the animal at a brisk pace without slowing.

Takiko's hope grew when the seemingly endless valley plain began turning uphill and trees became a more and more common sight. Stones littering the ground grew in size until some were as large as carts. By chance their party came across the road—a wide scar on the face of the land crisscrossed and marred by human and animal prints and the grooves of wagons. Ashitaka had been somewhat reluctant at first to take the road—Takiko thought he was still leery of robbers and other attackers, but when Takiko reminded him that the easier way would also be the fastest, he was a lot more willing to comply. Still, if people appeared on the road ahead of them or behind in any numbers, they would take the long way around to avoid them. After their last encounter, Ashitaka seemed less willing to fight his way through. With that arrow wound in him, it would have been more difficult anyway.

Hours later, Takiko saw the first of many brown, ugly looking humps in the distance and nearly cried for joy. The only huts and hovels they'd come by on this journey so far had been empty—abandoned or pillaged. Seeing little children playing alongside the road or tending gardens with their mothers or dogs chasing each other across their path was a relief after the days of dangerous, lonely journeying.

"Can't we just stop now and get something to eat?" Takiko whined to Ashitaka when they passed through the fourth village; they were appearing closer and closer together now, a sure sign of a city being nearby.

"Not until we reach Kyoto," Ashitaka said firmly. "But if you want me to let you off here, I will."

Takiko decided to tolerate her empty belly a little longer.

Despite not being able to follow the sun, it was considerably darker by the time the city came into view. The road sloped up a hill and then offered a view from the top of the bustling spread below. Houses with roofs made of tile and wood, not thatch, were plainly visible, in all sorts of colors, like a dull rainbow. Streets made a grid slicing through the city. Directly below them, merchants squeezed through the narrow gates, coming and going. Samurai in their baggy hakama with swords strapped ostentatiously to their waists prowled around like cats in an alley. Till now Ashitaka and Takiko had only seen villages. This was Takiko's first sight of a real city. Was it Ashitaka's first time, too?

The sheer size of Kyoto was enough to take her breath away. She'd always thought Iron Town to be large, but ten Iron Towns could easily fit inside the walls of this place. The most prominent feature of the city was the castle on the hill—the residence of the emperor. Across the river, its many tiered pagoda-like towers reached towards the sky, dominating everything else in sight. And some ways behind it, a smaller palace with a gold roof and a large pond—practically a lake, could be seen. There was another smaller estate on the edge of the city, but just as ornate from afar. And beyond it, Mt. Hiei rose, only a small lump on the horizon.

Ashitaka hardly slowed Yakkuru for even a second before urging him down the hill. He didn't have time to appreciate the view, Takiko supposed. A few minutes later saw them crossing the threshold of the city. A pair of surly samurai glowered at them warningly as they entered, but their gaze lingered only for a second before turning to glower at the next group of visitors. Takiko hoped the bag of gold coins strapped under her calves wasn't too visible. She rearranged her garment a bit to conceal them better.

People teemed all over the city. Takiko scarcely knew where to look. People seemed packed in the streets, moving animals or hawking their wares, or slipping through the crowd on their errands. It didn't take long to find the taverns and their patrons; Takiko's nose recoiled at the smell of strong drink and the sound of loud, raucous laughter coming from the source. Samurai strode up and down the ways, too, and wherever they went, they were given ample space. Ashitaka was content to ignore them and continue onward.

He kept Yakkuru on a straight course towards the high bastion that was the castle, despite the deepening shadows and the lamps being lit along storefronts.

"Ashitaka," Takiko said to him after passing the fifth inn, nearly yelling to be heard over the crowd, "I think we ought to stop somewhere for the night. I'm tired."

Ashitaka didn't act like he'd heard her. When she repeated her request, he responded loudly,

"We can't stop. We have to get back to Iron Town as soon as possible." There was a frantic edge to his tone. They rounded a corner and met an even tighter throng of people dodging from one market stand to the next, trying to get their shopping done before closing. Yakkuru pawed the ground restlessly, barely able to penetrate, but Ashitaka heeled him on anyway.

Takiko rolled her eyes. As amazing as Ashitaka was, she was reminded now and again he was still a man. And if her upbringing by the women in Iron Town had taught her anything, it was that men were naturally very foolish at times.

"Ashitaka, we have to stop somewhere and rest," she protested. "It's late, and we're both tired and hungry. Plus you're hurt. Besides, what kind of impression do you think you'd make on the emperor, going to see him looking like a scruffy vagabond? You'd be fortunate if he only tossed you back out into the streets on your sorry behind!"

Ashitaka didn't answer her for a moment, but Takiko knew she was victorious when he let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"You're just going to keep arguing with me if we don't, aren't you?"

"If you thought I was bad on the way here….."

"Alright," he cut in quickly, "but just for one night." In a mutter he added, "I suppose this means we'll have to spend some of the gold Eboshi gave us. We need to be even more careful now with it. We were a lot safer with all that money out in the country than we are in this city."

Ashitaka steered Yakkuru towards the nearest inn—well, the nearest inn that looked a little more shabby and cramped than the rest; Takiko couldn't believe Ashitaka could have such a tight fist on money, but at least there was promise of a bed and a roof overhead. It was a two-story building constructed out of wood that looked like it had weathered all the elements. There was no plaque professing its name anywhere to be seen. Takiko had her doubts about what the inn would be like, but anything was far better than another day of traveling through rain and mud and cold. At least she might finally get a proper meal here.

Ashitaka guided Yakkuru around the corner of the inn to a covered stable that was joined to the side of the blockish building. A young boy—no older than eight or nine, Takiko thought—was idly playing with a piece of string and looked up at them with wide eyes when they reached the entrance. He gaped at Yakkuru, probably surprised at seeing a red elk with riders, and stood there with his mouth open until Ashitaka dismounted—a bit ungainly because of his injury. Takiko, eager for the chance to be out of the saddle, slid off, too. Ashitaka untied the saddlebags and swung them over his healthy shoulder, frowning when the coins inside them tinkled musically; the boy cocked his head slightly, his soft brown eyes grew wider at the sound.

"Please feed him," Ashitaka told him, passing the reins into his chubby hands. He paused, then loosened the cords on the money bag enough to draw out a shiny gold coin—probably more than the boy made in months in one little piece—and placed it in the boy's palm. "Don't tell anyone," he said. Takiko wasn't sure tipping the boy, especially with so much, was particularly wise. She hoped he would at least keep his mouth shut. Thieves and other criminals sneaking into their room at night to slit their throats and steal the gold was the last thing they needed. She began to share Ashitaka's desire for a speed a bit more.

The smiling boy promptly led Yakkuru to a stall next to those of some noisy horses, and Ashitaka and Takiko proceeded to the inside of the inn to put themselves up for the night. Takiko caught sight of a seamstress' shop across the street. The silk and cotton kimono in all shades and patterns looked tempting. Maybe Ashitaka would allow her some pocket money. The Emperor wouldn't know any different…..

They trooped into the inn together—tired, dirty, and more or less worse for wear. She was relieved to find it better looking on the inside than their first view of it suggested. It was clean and quiet, at least, if not very decorated or big. A slim woman kneeling at a floor table greeted them as they entered and put down the ink-laden brush she was writing with, looking at them with cheery, expectant eyes that told of slow business lately.

Within minutes, Ashitaka and Takiko were ascending dust-colored, wooden stairs to a small room three doors down the narrow hallway. Ashitaka slid the partition aside to reveal a tiny, windowless room with a closet, a washstand with a cracked, ceramic pitcher, and an arrangement of dried, yellow flowers atop a table in the middle of the room over the space where heated coals were placed during winter to keep the room warm. It was hardly luxurious, but for their purposes, it was enough.

Ashitaka hadn't been willing to pay for two rooms, and since they were only staying the night, there was no need. He went to the closet and unpacked a pillow, futon, and blankets.

"I'll go ask the owner for another futon," he said, but Takiko barred his path as he made his way for the door.

"You stay right there, Ashitaka," Takiko said impulsively. Ashitaka looked at her expressionlessly, but she was adamantly concerned about his welfare. "You need to rest. I'll take care of everything." Without waiting for an argument, she took the bedding out of his arms and began laying it out on the floor by the table. When she was finished, she stood before him with fists on her hips until Ashitaka bowed his head and lay down obediently. "Alright," she continued, "I'll go find us some food, and a doctor to take a look at that shoulder of yours. Can I have some money?"

Ashitaka reluctantly nodded his head, and Takiko pounced on the sack of gold, scooping up a handful—a small handful—with alacrity then hid the bag under the floorboards where the heated coals would usually be, in a colder season. Padding towards the doorway, she halted when Ashitaka's soft, soothing voice floated to her.

"Thank you."

Takiko peered over her shoulder at him. His eyes were closed. He looked exhausted. Without response she stepped out of the room and pulled the door softly shut behind her. Ashitaka needed a doctor. That wound looked bad, and seemed to be spreading. And they needed food. Takiko's stomach rumbled painfully at the mere thought. Ashitaka was probably famished, too. Maybe food should come first.

Downstairs, she found the innkeeper, who called herself Momo, still at her table writing records with an elegant stroke.

"Can we get something to eat?" she inquired.

"Certainly," Momo replied graciously. "I'll have someone bring up some rice and fish in a while, and some sake, too, if you like."

Takiko, although dismayed that they'd have to wait at all, nodded her consent and took her leave, heading back out into the bustling world of the city.

The first thing she saw when she left the inn was the kimono shop across the street. The grungy, stiff, unwashed feel of her clothes made her think more keenly of how nice silk on her skin would feel. She felt the coins hidden in her sleeve. Surely there'd be enough left over, once she was through with her other errands. Carefully ducking and dodging to avoid being trampled by men and beasts, Takiko worked through the flow of traffic back towards the open-air markets.

"Excuse me," she said, touching the arm of a tall woman passing by, "could you tell me where I might find a doctor?" The woman turned long enough to meet her eyes, then her nose wrinkled in disgust and she pulled away, continuing on in a hurry. Takiko stared at her retreating back for a moment before it became lost in the crowd. How rude! She selected another individual coming from the direction of the market and solicited him. He, too, brushed her off and left her with scarcely more than a glance. Takiko could hardly believe it. Did city people have no manners? This was a startling contrast to the smaller, friendlier atmosphere of Iron Town. She cast her eyes on a more friendly-seeming woman and tried to ask her, but she didn't even finish the question before the woman barked,

"Leave me alone, you ugly girl! For goodness' sake, go take a bath!"

Then the woman wheeled around in a huff and marched off. Takiko's jaw dropped at such insensitivity. It seemed she'd have to find the doctor herself. But in this big city, where the streets and shops ran as far as the eye could see, that could very well be impossible.

She asked around until someone, an older man who looked about as abused as she was, kindly told her that he wasn't sure where the doctor lived—he hardly ever left his house and was only venturing out because his only son had left him to fend for himself. He hobbled off on a crooked, wooden walking stick. Takiko was struck with an idea, and before he could get too far away, she pressed one of the gold coins in his hands and thanked him, hurrying off again.

She made her way back towards the inn without much success. How was she ever to find someone to look after Ashitaka's injury? She passed by the tent of a man selling mirrors. Several framed in wood, iron, or bronze were arrayed on his table. Takiko glanced at them as she walked by, and received an awful fright. The long scar on her face made a freakish curve from her hairline all the way to her chin. Her face was also filthy, and her hair a mess. No wonder hardly anyone was speaking to her! Had she encountered herself in a crowd, she would have brushed her aside, embarrassed.

Feeling quite unhappy, she looked back towards the inn and remembered the kimono shop. Well, she couldn't find a doctor, but at the very least, she could get them a change of clothes. If the shopkeeper would even do business with her.

Meek and wretched, she passed under the curtain of the kimono shop door. A pretty young lady with long, decorated hair called out to her cheerfully.

"Welcome! May I serve you, please?"

Relieved to find the shopkeeper so friendly despite her appearance, Takiko smiled and withdrew some gold coins from her ragged sleeve.

"Yes. I need some new clothes, please. For myself and a man."

The woman introduced herself as Mariko and kindly showed Takiko her collection. The kimono and yukata hanging up around the shop came in all different colors and fabrics, many of them with beautiful patterns of stripes, firebirds, dragons, umbrellas, flowers, cranes, or bamboo grass. The obi she had in stock were even more widely varied. Mariko helped her select a lilac kimono in a pattern of darker purple flowers with a cream-colored obi, and they guessed together on what size might fit Ashitaka according to Takiko's description (which she tried hard not to exaggerate too much), and found a crimson haori and white hakama that would suit him well. Zoori to replace his worn-out deerskin shoes were not too much to add to the tab. Takiko still had a decent amount of money left over by the end of her purchases, which would please Ashitaka, she hoped.

While the woman wrapped the garments, she made idle conversation.

"Are you new in town? You seem to be a bit travel-worn."

"Yes," Takiko admitted. "It's probably obvious."

"A bit."

"Say, do you know where I might find a doctor?"

"Are you sick?"

"No, no," Takiko assured her. "But the man I'm with…..he's hurt."

"Ah, I see. Well, I know there's a doctor six blocks from the castle, on the corner of the twenty-third street and the twenty-ninth, just before the Takano-gawa bridge."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"Not a problem. I hope your man gets better. Is he your husband?"

Takiko paused. "No, he's not. I kind of wish, though, you know? We were just on our way to the Imperial Palace to plead for some help for our hometown. We're from Iron Town, to the west."

"Oh, you poor thing. Well, I hope you have a safe and successful journey. If you decide to come back to Kyoto, though, I hope you'll come visit me again. If you're looking for a job, I always need more seamstresses. Business has been very good these days, what with so many people coming to Kyoto.

"Thanks for the offer. I'm really not sure yet about my own future, but I'll keep it in mind."

Takiko gathered the paper-wrapped packages in her arms and bowed to the nice kimono lady before rushing out into the street. She could hear wild whoops and yelling from somewhere up the street. She stood on her toes to see over the crowd of people filling the streets and saw a Shinto shrine covered with a rainbow of lanterns all alight bobbing up and down on the shoulders of celebrators. Cymbals were crashing and bells were ringing. Takiko remembered some of the festivals she went to in Iron Town in her childhood. It seemed like just a dream, now. Despite wanting to stay and watch the procession and listen to the music, she returned to the inn.

The entry room was empty, the innkeeper perhaps off enjoying the celebration. Takiko headed straight to hers and Ashitaka's room, barging right in without knocking.

To her dismay, Ashitaka was no longer lying down, but sitting with his legs crossed at the low table. There were plates and boxes of food laid out—mounds of rice and bowls of dark brown sauce, cuts of raw fish lined up in an organized row, and small cups of miso still steaming. Takiko's stomach wanted to leap out of her throat at the sight of it, perhaps thinking it could beat her to the meal.

"I thought I should wait for you," he said upon her arrival, picking up a pair of chopsticks.

Takiko could hardly stand her watering mouth anymore and dropped down on the other side of the table, grabbing for the chopsticks, and they had a quick prayer of thanks and dove in. Takiko was somewhat heartened to see that Ashitaka was just about as unrestrained as she was. Her parents would be appalled to see her table manners now. Ashitaka didn't seem to mind, though. His were just about as bad.

As shabby as the inn's accommodations were, at least the food was good. Takiko was mildly disappointed when there were only a few grains of rice left sticking to the bowls and dregs in the miso cups. Ashitaka tipped a glass of sake past his lip and set it down with a satisfied sigh.

"I found out where the doctor is, but there's a festival going on, and it's getting kind of late," she told him. "But maybe I can bind up your wound again, and we can see him tomorrow morning."

Ashitaka glanced off to the side.

"There's not much a doctor will be able to do," he informed her. "This wound is unnatural."

Takiko looked at him with puzzled black eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"The mark spreading from the arrow wound is the same as the one I got after battling a demon boar god back in the Emishi lands. Hate and fear make it grow, and if I don't find a way to get rid of it soon, it will kill me. I'm not sure how it was cured the last time, but with it so close to my heart, I don't think I don't have much time left."

"I don't understand," Takiko said, "did those men have cursed arrows?"

"No," he replied. "I don't think so." He balled his hand into a fist and stared at it. "The mark went away, but the demon's power remained. I think it's a reminder. My hate and my anger and my fear fuel it. If I let it overcome me, I will die."

The room grew suddenly quiet for several moments. Takiko shifted on the floor, stunned.

"I'm going to go look for a bath," she announced quietly, getting to her feet. "You seem strong enough to sit up at least. I suggest you do the same." She offered him one of the parcels. "I brought us some clothes. We'll have to look our best for the Emperor tomorrow."

"That we will," he agreed.

Clutching the newly bought kimono, still in its paper wrappings, Takiko turned from him and hurriedly strode from the room.

Author's Notes: Again, sorry I'm taking so long to update. I've been swamped with work and with wedding plans. I'm getting married August 13th, and there's a ton more to do in preparation than I thought. Plus there's life in general to take care of as well. Sorry the chapter's a bit long. Actually, it's supposed to be about three times longer, the way I outlined it, but I think I should leave it off here for now. Hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for all the support and kind reviews, mina-san! Mata ne!


	21. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 21

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Chapter Twenty-One

Ashitaka emerged from the inn he was staying at with Takiko, rubbing tired eyes that hadn't known any sleep the night before. Washed and dress in clean clothes—the comfortable crimson haori and white hakama Takiko bought yesterday, he should have felt a little fresher than he really did. He might have, had he not felt like he was rotting on the inside and on fire at the same time.

'The demon's curse never really went away,' he thought numbly. 'It's only been asleep inside of me.' It was spreading out from where the arrow struck him; he'd puzzled over it for some time. He couldn't see how there could be anything particularly special about that wound—it was made by a human arrow. There was nothing supernatural about it. But it was as if his body was a water bag with a hole punched through it, and now the angry, purplish-red mark was leaking out. It was creeping down his ribs and over his chest. The haori covered it, but Ashitaka was keenly aware every moment that it was there. The pain it caused flared every now and then; Ashitaka had begun to realize that it was when he particularly missed San or worried about her. Or whenever he thought about Asano, and the havoc he was wreaking in Iron Town.

He was still troubled by his dreams. Was San battling against Asano? Was she hurt? Or killed? The distance between them was too great for his demon-given powers to sense her; for all he knew she could have been killed the day after he left. She was reckless enough to try to attack Asano and his entire army with nothing but her bare hands. Ashitaka prayed she was safe. A lance of pain ripped through his chest again.

No sooner had it dimmed when he heard a soft shuffling sound behind him, getting closer. He didn't need to turn his head to know it was Takiko coming down the stairs, her pace hindered by the silk kimono she had wrapped around her. Ashitaka remained in the inn's doorway, gazing out at the packed, busy streets as she joined him.

"Good morning, Ashitaka," she said quietly. Her voice was heavy, like the flowery perfume she was wearing, and came out in a dejected sigh.

Ashitaka didn't respond except to say emotionlessly,

"Let's go."

He trod into the noisy outside with the young woman on his heels. He shifted the weight of the saddlebags on his shoulders and headed towards the stable where Yakkuru already had his nose stuck into a trough of hay. The smells of horses and feed and dung were strong in his nose. The dirty little boy he'd charged to look after him was scratching the elk's broad forehead, smiling. Ashitaka cleared his throat loudly, and the boy jumped with surprise, looking like he feared a reprimand. Ashitaka let his dour mood dissolve enough to give him a reassuring smile.

"Yakkuru looks quite content," Ashitaka said, settling the bags on the ground as he reached for the animal's saddle and bridle hanging up on a peg over the stall.

"He sure likes to eat a lot," the grungy boy replied.

"That he does." Ashitaka patted Yakkuru's back fondly. "I hope he eats up as much as he can, but not so much he gets lazy. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Ashitaka put saddle and bridle on Yakkuru himself while the boy patted the red elk's nose. Checking the saddle girth, he fastened their bags to the leather loops, making sure they were secure.

The boy stood back as Ashitaka led Yakkuru out of the stall. Before they were clear of the stable, he caught sight of Takiko in the corner of his eye, slipping the boy another fat gold coin and making a "be quiet" gesture, finger pressed to her lips. He thought his standoffishness towards her this morning was starting to erode a little. But just a little. He had too much else to worry about to trouble himself with her. He was still rather unsettled by last night.

Takiko had come into their room after washing the past weeks' grime and dust off in the inn's bath. She almost appeared to be a completely different person. He hadn't seen her cleaned up and well-dressed since he left Iron Town. It seemed like just yesterday she was in his house making an offering of herself. And then again, it felt like years had passed over their long, difficult journey. She wasn't quite the same woman she had been then.

After the lamps were blown out and they lay down for the night on plump, soft futons, Ashitaka stared at the ceiling, his mind buzzing too noisily to fall asleep any time soon. His hectic thoughts just added to the growing headache already beginning to pound inside his skull. He shouldn't have drunk so much sake, he thought in retrospect. Whether the fanciful illusions in his head were from the wine or his own tiredness, he couldn't say. Many of his wine-induced thoughts lingered on San, some of them making his already flushed cheeks turn pinker.

The room was quiet except for the soft breathing coming from the futon next to his. Takiko hadn't drunk as much as he had, but he wondered if her head, hurt, too. He vaguely recalled the time he had brought San to Iron Town for the day, and how funny she'd acted with her first taste of wine. Oh, how he missed her.

The searing pain in his chest lasted only moment, but felt like lightning.

"Ashitaka?" came a still voice as soon as the sensation passed.

"Hm?"

"Thank you," Takiko whispered. "For everything."

Ashitaka closed his eyes and replied just as softly,

"You're welcome."

"Ashitaka?" she interrupted his thoughts again.

"Yes?" he called over to the futon next to his.

She paused for a moment before asking him,

"Are you afraid?"

"Of what?"

Takiko responded,

"Of failing."

Ashitaka tried not to concentrate too much on it, truthfully. With a heavy sigh he told her,

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't," he admitted. "If we cannot reach a peaceful solution to Asano's presence in Iron Town with the Emperor, then it will mean resisting with force, if Eboshi hasn't already begun forming an army." An army of women, most likely. And how many of them would be hurt, or killed, perhaps needlessly?

"Everything will be alright, won't it?"

He didn't dare tell her about his dreams. Something deep inside—his demon powers perhaps?—told him they were more than just nightly fancies. He had the dreadful feeling they were a foreshadowing of what might be.

"I hope so" was all he could say. The pain surging throughout his chest made him grunt softly. He heard a note of concern enter into Takiko's tone.

"The wound again? Are you sure you don't want a doctor? I cleaned it up as best I could and put a poultice on it, but—"

"There's no helping it," Ashitaka told her. "This wound isn't normal." Would it heal again this time, he wondered? Or would the demon's hatred and fear buried in him claim his life? "At any rate, it doesn't matter. I have to get back to Iron Town quickly. Whether the Emperor will help us or not." He said this through gritted teeth. If the Emperor wouldn't listen…..well, he would be back to San as soon as possible to fight alongside her. He would not abandon her again. His fingers touched the crystal dagger around his neck. It belonged with her, and his heart ached to return it and seek her forgiveness.

"Ashitaka," Takiko said with awe, "you take so much upon yourself. I don't know how you do it. You are more than a mere man, but you're not invincible. You mustn't push yourself too much, or you'll break down."

"I know that," he retorted, then regretted it instantly as the irritation and frustration he felt manifested itself physically throughout his body. He thought he felt the burning pain spreading an inch further down his arm. He clenched his teeth again and hastily schooled his thoughts, mentally reciting a Buddhist sutra. Takiko's covers rustled a bit, and he sensed more than saw a shape loom over him.

"You're not alone," Takiko's cool, serene voice said. "I'm still here. You don't have to carry those burdens all by yourself. Let some of the weight of the world off your shoulders."

Ashitaka sighed again. 'Easier said than done,' he thought.

"You could just forget about it all," she continued. "No one asked you risk your life, coming out here. No one asked you to be their savior." Was she thinking that perhaps she wouldn't be here either, if he had not driven her away, and later found her out in the wilderness? "We could just stay here in Kyoto, or in any of the smaller villages we passed on the way, if you prefer. There wouldn't be any war or oppression or cruelty. Just a quiet, peaceful existence."

"Running away from the problem won't solve anything, Takiko," Ashitaka objected. Times are perilous. The entire country is brimming with discontent and strife. They plant the seeds of anger and hatred and blossom into fighting. There isn't any place that will be safe for long unless people like us try to change that destiny."

"Change that destiny….." Takiko said, marveling. "Am I in control of my own destiny, Ashitaka?"

"Of course you are," he answered. "'The butterfly flapping its wings in China brings the monsoon winds to Kyushu.' Just look at the people who came to Iron Town. They worked hard to make their lives better, and they succeeded. I want to protect that. No one has the right to take it away."

Takiko shifted on the floor, next to him.

"Some things written in my destiny I can't change, it seems," she said, disheartened. "I've been ruined and dishonored." He heard her fingers gently pat her cheek. "And I can never make you love me, can I? No matter how hard I try, or how sincere I am."

Ashitaka considered his words carefully, though anything he said would have been a knife in her heart.

"I belong to San," he said softly. "And I always will." He silently added, 'Even though she hates me.'

He didn't have much time to linger on those negative thoughts. Before he knew it, Takiko descended on him. His wine-dulled reflexes were slow, and he was an instant too late to keep her from covering his mouth with hers. Her arms wrapped around him as much as was possible lying down. The kiss lasted no longer than a couple of heartbeats before Ashitaka pushed her off of him--none to gently but not so rough to hurt her, and sat up, even though moving tore a little at the wound in his left breast.

"I'm sorry!" Takiko gasped quickly, bowled over backwards. She righted herself and abased herself on hands and knees. She sounded like she was on the brink of tears. "I just wanted one last time to taste what I'll never be able to have. I know you don't love me, Ashitaka, but…..I love you so much! I love you! I love you!" She began weeping, repeating those sentiments, but it sounded like an awful dirge of a heart truly breaking. Seeing her this dismal made Ashitaka recall the flash of anger he felt just then.

"Takiko," he said, as gently as possible, trying to override his anger at her actions.

"Please, don't talk to me like that," the young woman sobbed. "I can't bear your kindness. It just makes it hurt worse. You're the best man I've ever known, Ashitaka, and there will never be another one like you. I won't ever stop loving you, but don't make it hurt more!" Her body shook as she cried, releasing what must have been emotion long pent up. Ashitaka pitied her. But he didn't tell her that. Honestly, he didn't know what to tell her. He just wanted to get back to San at that moment, more than anything else in the world. Eboshi and Iron Town—even Kaya—were nothing beside that wish.

He fell on his back, head hitting the plump, down-stuffed pillow. Takiko's continuous moaning made a terrible lullaby. He could already tell the night would be long and restless.

'Good night, Takiko,' he said to her in his mind. He felt like such a liar. 'Sleep well.'

The air in the city of Kyoto was cool with the coming autumn. The sun pierced the cloud-filled sky at occasional intervals, but for the most part the shops and buildings—taller than any Ashitaka had seen elsewhere except for the great forge in Iron Town—kept the streets in shade until the burning orb was almost directly overhead. It took nearly that long for them to press through the crowds to reach the walled compound of the palace. Ashitaka, masked and on the lookout for cutpurses and any other problem that might hamper his mission, glowered down from his perch in Yakkuru's saddle. Several people gawked at the red elk; perhaps they weren't common on this side of the country. Or maybe it was an elk carrying riders that was strange to see. Ashitaka didn't care one whit what they thought, so long as they stayed out of his way. The never-quiet pulsing of the arrow wound in his chest and the dull burn of the cursed mark filled him with a sense of urgency.

He hardly spoke to Takiko or to anyone, except to warn men with bulging sacks on their backs and women trying to keep a hold on scampering children to stay out from underfoot. He didn't really need to caution them—the streets were teeming with people on foot and on horseback coming from both directions, and there was so much yelling. The air was full of noise. Shopkeepers called out to prospective customers to sample fruit just come into season, inspect silver and copper jewelry, select fabrics of all colors and materials, and buy anything—everything!—from needles to shoes and toys to cast-iron pots. The sleazier side of city life was apparent also. Kyoto's prison was a large brick structure that looked like a dark fortress, visible in the distance from the street, near the courthouse. And Ashitaka counted no less than half a dozen brothels—and twice as many drinking houses!—on the street they traveled on alone! It was a long, straight road—Kyoto was laid out in more or less of a grid, streets pointing towards the heart of the city, the Imperial Palace, like arrows, lined every inch with shops and stands. Lampposts like pikes were spread every fifty or so feet. It must take all day just to light all the lamps in this city!

Inns with colored, tiled roofs—not thatch like he was familiar with—made impressive sights along the ways. Large and small, with names like "Thunder God" and "Frog in the Pond" and "The Winepress" lured people in like rat traps for their money with a drink and a game of dice. He peered into the open doorway of one of the more prosperous ones as they passed by and caught sight of a geisha dancing atop a table. He thought his face might go up in flames. Pretty as she was, it was a very indecent dance, and she wasn't any more than half-clothed! There were many geisha out in the streets. A handful sang or played instruments on street corners, but most just wandered along the streets aimlessly, dressed in silks like nobles with the heavy white makeup on, napes of their necks exposed to attract attention. Ashitaka paid them little heed. He had other things to worry about.

Between him and Takiko, they only had to fend off a few pickpockets hiding in the masses. Ashitaka cracked the head of a young man who had been eyeing the round bags on Yakkuru's saddle with a walking stave he borrowed from a passing Shinto priest. The old priest looked surprised when Ashitaka snatched his stick right out of his hand, whacked the nimble fingered man on Yakkuru's other side, then replaced it back in his hand, all in a single, fluid motion.

After the second or third such attempted theft—with the third nearly succeeding and making it nearly half a block before Ashitaka could run him down and tackle him to get the gold back—he had Takiko carry it in her arms. She did so without complaint, still cowed.

Following the straight course of the street, making a couple of turns to adjust the direction, they found themselves before the walled palace. It was a brick and stone edifice leafed in gold in places, isolated from everything else in the city; like a world in itself, it was quite marvelous with its high, sloping roofs and carved walkways ringing it. It was surrounded by a wide moat beyond the wall that looked more like it belonged in a garden, with a maze of even more high stone walls laid out around it to strategically frustrate an enemy attack. The whole place had the look of Paradise.

Immediately outside the palace walls there were a few guards in blue and purple-lacquered samurai armor. Ashitaka and Takiko rode Yakkuru down the straight gravel path that led up to the wide, arch-shaped portal of the outermost wall. Through it they could see the stout, towering pillars supporting the gigantic roof of the Palace. Yakkuru trotted energetically down the path lined with stone statues on pedestals, heading for the opening. They passed under the arch. On the other side was a wide courtyard, with another similar wall ahead. A loose cluster of samurai were walking towards the palace, and servants scurried like mice in an open field under a hawk's gaze on various errands, carrying things like jugs and baskets and gardening tools. The hawk could have been the looming castle casting almost no shadow in the noon-day heat. It seemed to emanate a feel of power and authority. The palace of the Emperor, descendant of the Sun Goddess and ruler of all Japan.

"It's incredible," Takiko said breathlessly, looking up at it.

"Well, here we go," Ashitaka said. It was more to steady his nerves. He hoped this would all go smoothly.

He nudged Yakkuru on with his knees, and they passed through the second gate. In the inner courtyard there were a few more people, most of them servants, with even more samurai patrolling the premises. Ashitaka had expected to see more commoners about, petitioning to see the Emperor like they were. But there was hardly anybody in common clothes. They were nearly across the gravel courtyard and to the threshold of the palace when they were stopped by a group of samurai on foot. They had seen him coming and hurried out to meet him—not running, but they were definitely not casual about it. They stopped a few paces away from Yakkuru and pointed long-hafted spears at them. Yakkuru snorted and pawed the ground uneasily, tossing his big-horned head at them.

"Easy, Yakkuru!" Ashitaka soothed the elk. He looked down at the faces beneath the blue and purple helmets. One of them grunted,

"State your business!"

Ashitaka drew up in his saddle, sitting straight and tall.

"I wish to speak with the Emperor. I have a favor to request of Him."

The samurai guards looked astounded and exchanged dubious looks amongst each other. The one who had spoken stared up at Ashitaka, a mocking smile spread on his jaw.

"You're joking, right? What would a couple of nicely dressed peasants want an audience with the Emperor for?"

"We're here on behalf of our village," he explained formally. He had to convince them to let them pass. He had no time for games!

"You country bumpkins came all the way here to bother the Emperor about some pathetic little village?" He laughed coarsely. "Go home and take care of your vegetable patches."

Ashitaka's hands tightened on the reins, and he had to quickly quell the flare of irritation he felt.

"I need to see the Emperor now," he said firmly. "And I will not leave until I do."

"Well, well, aren't we bold?" another of the guards snickered. "Keep that uppity attitude up, and the only person you'll be seein' is the warden at the jailhouse, and your pretty silks won't impress him any more than they do us. You probably stole them!"

"That's outrageous!" Takiko cried indignantly. "We paid for them fairly!" She hefted the sack of gold in her arms, making the coins inside jingle. "And we're not peasants! We're here to pay tribute to the Emperor, so let us through!"

The guards' eyes widened at the size of the sack of gold. Asihtaka groaned inwardly, but at least the samurai might take them a little more seriously now, he thought.

"You can leave the tribute here with us. And if you have some gripe to settle, see the shogun. Maybe he'll lend a kind ear to your woes." The samurai burst into laughter at that, as if their leader had made a great joke. Ashitaka scowled.

"Let us through," he commanded them. "It is imperative that I see the Emperor, and no one else. I am Prince Ashitaka, and I come from Iron Town, to the West."

"A prince, eh? Hmph." The first guard's grip on his spear didn't waver an eyelash. He kept the point right in Ashitaka's face. "Don't hear of too many princes around, nowadays," he said in a harsh, grating manner. "They've all been defeated, all that will stand against the army of the shogun! The shogun has been responsible for bringing peace to the nation, and he acts in the name of the Emperor. Whoever you say you are—and I seriously doubt you're a prince, by the looks of you--he's the one to deal with, so take your scar-faced broad and beat it, kid."

"No. I will see the Emperor. Whether you like it, or not!" Ashitaka punctuated his words by pounding his heels into Yakkuru's sides. The elk reared up, squealing, lashing out with his front legs. One hoof smacked the lead guard square on the head, and he collapsed like a sack of beans. Ashitaka drew his short sword and batted away the other spears barring his way. Yakkuru leaped forward, over the downed samurai's unconscious form, and sped off, hooves kicking up gravel.

"Stop them!" he heard a man shout behind them. He was thankful when he had noticed none of them were carrying bows. "Stop those intruders!"

Out of the corners of his eyes Ashitaka glimpsed more samurai in purple and blue seeming to appear from out of nowhere, wielding swords and spears. Ashitaka glanced up at the trees and rooftops of smaller buildings dotting the courtyard, in case any ambush should come from above. He drummed Yakkuru's flank, with Takiko yelling in his ear to go faster.

A towering door in the large hall up ahead, closed and guarded by two spearmen in blue and purple armor, drew his attention. He saw the pair step forward to see what the commotion was in the courtyard, and they readied their spears for an attack. Ashitaka kept his focus on them. He was prepared to break through the door, if need be, though he knew it to be a purely foolish idea. The desire was there, though.

His body felt like it was on fire. The demon mark was throbbing fit to shake him out of the saddle. He felt a sensation, like being branded with white-hot iron, spreading down his arms, past his elbows, to his fingers. Had his determination been a whisker less, he thought he might have passed out. The pain was overwhelming, fed by his fury. He could almost see tentacles of the demon god's hatred and rage sprouting from his arms and torso. He prayed it was only his imagination.

"Ashitaka, look out above!" shrieked Takiko shrilly in his ear. Ashitaka jerked his head up towards the roof of the hall. He'd let the seething pain of the curse distract him from oncoming danger. Black-clothed figures, covered from head to toe, were scurrying along the roof toward their position. Ashitaka had no idea what they were, but he caught a glint of something metallic flashing in the sunlight, being drawn from one of the figure's clothes. A knife or something. And there were more samurai, behind and before them.

"Out of my way!" he yelled fiercely, his voice rising above the crunching of elk's hooves in the gravel and the shouting of men around him. No sooner had the words left his mouth when something miraculous occurred. The roof beneath the black-clad mens' feet was torn up right under them. No, it exploded. As if Ashitaka's voice had been one of Eboshi's devious land mines exploding right in their faces. The would-be assassins fell in a cloud of debri and dust to the ground.

The blast, as loud as a thunderclap, was powerful enough to crack the massive pillars on either side of the tall double doors. They did not break, but they looked as if giant hands had broken them like sticks; they were bent at an odd angle. The two samurai guarding the door were also thrown back by the impact, smashing into the very door they'd been guarding. They slid limply to the floor. One rose up, weak and trembling, on his elbows and stared at Ashitaka in astonishment. The other lay prone where he fell.

"What just happened?" Takiko screeched in terror, clamping onto his midsection even more tightly with her head trying to bury itself between his shoulder blades. Ashitaka had no answer to give her. But somehow, he thought he was responsible. The demon power was surging through him, like a tidal wave of anguish and pain and anger all crashing down on him. He had felt it fill him when the blast ripped off the section of roof. He had felt the same when he tore up beams of the forge roof in Iron Town to defend San, and when he lifted the main gate that weighed tons to escape with her, even as his blood poured out from the gunshot wound he sustained from one of the townspeople. But it had never been this strong before.

His heart pounded like a deep drum in his test, and he felt demon's curse throbbing to the same beat. They made a strange music together. Ashitaka's body was wracked with pain, but he couldn't afford to pay it any mind. Too much was depending on him. He was so close.

"He's a monster! Destroy him!" he heard.

"Protect the Emperor!" screamed other voices. Several of them.

Ashitaka focused on the doors, and the same inexplicable force he'd exerted just seconds before shattered them into splinters. So it had been him. He only hoped he could keep this power under control—he'd seen what it had done to the palace exterior.

Even as the dust was still clearing, Ashitaka rode his mount through the ruined doors, Yakkuru nimbly jumping over debris of wrecked wood and stone that had fallen in the path. Yakkuru's hooves clicked noisily on the wooden floor as they charged down the wide corridor. Ashitaka had little idea where he'd find the Emperor; he just knew that he must. He rounded corners and pillars, nearly running down frightened, bewildered servants who were confused by all the chaos. More guards filled the palace, but surprisingly few concentrated on him. A couple even threw down their swords at the sight of him then raced the other direction. Ashitaka was glad to see none of the black figures popping out from behind corners, but the samurai in the castle still posed a threat. The ones that weren't deterred when he pulled out a wooden pillar out from its holdings and threw it at them fell to his short sword. His determination felt like molten rock boiling in his veins. As screaming and the sound of steel on steel and running footsteps echoed off the castle walls, Ashitaka vaguely wondered, 'Was this how Nago felt, before he died?'

"Ashitaka!" Takiko yelped after he struck down a tall samurai with a thick mustache covering his lip, "Stop this!"

Ashitaka wiped his sword clean on his shirtsleeve before sheathing it. She was right. He had to stop wasting time fighting. If he didn't get killed by the samurai, very likely the curse would overwhelm him completely, if he let his anxiety and frustration get in the way.

There weren't any men left to fight in this hall anyway. Limbs and still bodies littered the floor, staining it with dark red blood. Servants investigating the commotion fled the scene shrieking, and one completely passed out. Through the windows Ashitaka caught a glimpse of a group of armored guards darting down the walkways just outside the hall they were in. Not coming in to fight him. Heading somewhere else. Ashitaka thumped Yakkuru's flanks and followed after them.

He followed the sounds of shouting and the snatches of blue and purple he saw ahead of him. Cries of "Protect the Emperor!" resounded through the halls, leading him right on track. The ride came at last to a halt before another pair of thick, tall doors. Carved with vines and birds and flowers, they looked like a garden etched in wood. And guarded by easily a hundred men.

Ashitaka stared. The bunch of them were huddled together like a flock of sheep, and looking just as petrified in sight of the shearer. Each and every one of them had a weapon drawn—mostly swords, but with some spears and short swords and daggers as well. The looks on their faces—some older, some not much younger-looking than himself—were a mixture of fear, astonishment, and anger. Some of the younger men's lips were moving silently as if they were saying their last prayers. Strangely, a hush fell over the hall, interrupted only by heaving breathing and shifting blades. Ashitaka realized, somewhat incredulously, that he was the one who would have to tip the tense balance.

"Get out of my way, all of you, or I'll kill you." He didn't have the fury and the fear that had filled his heart earlier. He didn't want to kill anymore. Heaven burn his soul, he didn't want to kill anymore! "I am a demon god from the West, and I have come to see the Emperor." The guards all looked at each other uncertainly, weapons quivering in their hands. He raised his voice even louder and bellowed, "Move aside!"

A young samurai with a pale face and deep black hair was the first to drop his sword. It fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He stood poised, staring at Ashitaka with wide, fearful eyes. Then in one motion, he dropped to the floor as well, forehead pressed to the ground in a humble bow. He was shaking visibly from head to toe. Only moments later, nearly every other samurai there was imitating him, abandoning spear and sword and abasing himself at Yakkuru's feet. The few left standing held on to their weapons with a slack grip and mouths dropped open in awe. Two of them looked at each other and stepped over their comrades to open the doors for him. Ashitaka, relieved to avoid battle but nevertheless astounded, too, looked down at the carpet of blue and violet backs before him. Awkwardly he cleared his throat, and half a second later, the bowing samurai scuttled back, pressing against the wall, leaving their weapons on the floor.

"Thank you," Ashitaka told them uncomfortably as he walked Yakkuru past the ranks on either side. He entered the next chamber.

This room was bigger than any he'd ever seen. Iron Town's forge could have fit inside of it. It had a long gold and violet carpet leading up to a dais that contained only a large, plump cushion. The pillars supporting the high roof overhead were carved with leaves and dragons and birds, gilded in gold and silver. A smoky sort of scent—pleasant, but heavy—filled the air. The walls were painted with scenes of battles and nature. Ashitaka looked up towards the platform at the end of the long carpet. On it sat the Emperor, dressed in billowing robes of gold and a green and gold cap on his head. He might have looked complacent and peaceful if not for his face. It was as hard as a rock, and from a distance Ashitaka could feel his eyes boring into his flesh.

More penetrating than the Emperor's gaze, though, was the sight of nearly eight times as many samurai between him and the throne. They looked even burlier than the men outside the room. And even more displeased at seeing him. This lot had more than just swords and spears—crossbows nestled in some of their arms, and small knives for throwing were already resting between fingers, ready to fly. Ashitaka glanced around. There were windows in this room, but too far for him to escape out of should it become necessary. He felt the firm pressure of Takiko's arms around his midriff. He wished he hadn't brought her. He should never have gotten her mixed up in all of this. He just hoped this obsessive mission of his didn't get her killed as well. He didn't need one more woman—not to mention several men he'd killed—haunting his dreams.

"Do not attack unless We command it," came an old voice—old, but strong—from atop the cushioned dais. The Emperor stared straight ahead and asked, voice bouncing off the walls so that Ashitaka could hear it with perfect clarity, "What do you want?"

Some of the samurai were positioning their feet, preparing to lunge. Hardly a dozen paces separated them from Ashitaka. He could see some of them looking him over, and many of them smirked. Ashitaka supposed he didn't look like much, in his stained clothes and on an elk's back with a woman. Others of the guards looked past him, and saw the samurai outside the hall still folded in half, prostrate. Their expressions were completely dumbfounded, and they switched to Ashitaka again, reassessing him. Ashitaka didn't waste any time with smugness. All of his concentration settled on the robed man sitting cross-legged on the wide cushion ahead of him, and he dismounted, bowing himself to the floor just like the guards behind him.

"Your Excellency," Ashitaka began, then paused to swallow hard. He mustn't fail, he reminded himself. Too much was at stake. He thought he could almost hear the gunshots ringing out over Iron Town and the sorrowful howling of wolves over the death of their princess. That would be the consequence. He knew it. "My name is Ashitaka, Your Excellency. I've come from Iron Town in the West, and I beg of you to hear my plea!"

"Our men report that you have destroyed a portion of the palace and killed some of Our bodyguards. You are a demon in human guise. Is this true?"

Ashitaka froze. He wondered if the samurai outside could hear. Probably. The door was wide open. But he could not lie to the Emperor.

"I am just a man, but I carry the curse of a demon god which gives me my powers," he answered. "I have no intention of harming Your Excellency in any way. I only wish to speak."

The Emperor paused for a long moment that made Ashitaka wonder if the figure in robes had forgotten he was even there.

"Then speak."

Ashitaka twitched at the words then gathered his thoughts together.

"Your Excellency, Lord Asano has come to Iron Town on your authority and is ravaging our land. He has brought thousands of mercenaries with him, and they are starving us out of house and home, forcing us to pay unjust taxes, and setting down harsh laws against my people." They were his people. His life. "He is destroying the land and invoking the wrath of the beast gods who live in the surrounding mountains." He gulped down a lungful of air. "He and his men are exploiting the people of Iron Town, and I have come before Your Excellency to beg you to please help us! If he is not stopped, we will all be chattel, or destroyed! On behalf of Lady Eboshi, who has been usurped, and all of the citizens of Iron Town, I beg Your Excellency to please have mercy on us!"

His words rang out through the hall. Not a single samurai wavered a hair, and all eyes were on him. The Emperor was peering down at him like a bird surveying a worm. Endless minutes seemed to pass before he delivered his judgment.

"I sense you have an honest heart, young man, but We have given to Lord Asano any lands he chooses, within sensible bounds, as a gift for his service to Us. His character is not unknown to Us, and though his methods have been at times unsavory, he has proved helpful in maintaining the integrity of the empire."

Ashitaka flinched. Surely the Emperor could not be condoning Asano's actions! He held his breath, half wondering if he would need to fight his way out of the palace, just to reach home in time to fight alongside San in the inevitable battle that would erupt between the people of Iron Town and the warlord's armies.

"However," the Emperor resumed, "despite what Lord Asano believes, all of these islands, from the tip of the highest volcano to the tiniest sprout emerging from the ground belong to Us. We are the ruler of the Land of the Rising Sun, descendant of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Lord Asano may have stewardship over your homelands, but he is not allowed to abuse that which has been graciously bestowed upon him. Especially not at the expense of Our other subjects."

Ashitaka's breath left him in a rush, and he lifted hopeful eyes to the Emperor's pedestal.

"Your Excellency?"

The man's features were still stony, but he thought he saw a slight smile tugging on his lips.

"Just between Us and you, young man," he continued. "We watched the Lady Eboshi grow up in this court. We…..I…..," he amended, "…..was rather fond of her. I very much hope for her happiness."

Ashitaka was hardly aware of the tears pouring down his cheeks, spotting the fine carpet. He felt like he could fly, he was so full of joy. The scathing pain of the curse was fading, even, in its wake.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" he cried out. "On behalf of all the people of Iron Town, thank you!"

The world suddenly went dark and Ashitaka felt nothing more.

Ashitaka opened his eyes, feeling as though he was awakening from a week-long sleep. His eyes met dim golden light coming from a lamp hanging on a peg against a painted wall. Slowly lifting his head, he tried to recognize his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was conversing with the Emperor in the Imperial Palace. By the looks of things, he was in an inn—a very fine one. It certainly wasn't the same as the one he and Takiko had stayed in before.

Sitting up—he was lying on a soft, plump futon in the middle of a small but lavishly decorated room—he knuckled his dully aching head and wondered where the girl was. And where he was. And how had he gotten here?

The pond scenes and lotus plants on the wall slid aside and Takiko entered not much later. She was delicately holding a rolled up piece of parchment in her hand, and she gave a start when she saw him.

"Oh, you're awake! They way you've been sleeping, I almost thought you were dead."

"I feel like it," Ashitaka stated, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "What happened?"

Takiko looked at him curiously. "You blacked out just after the Emperor received your petition. It caused quite a stir. If the Emperor hadn't ordered all those samurai to stay put, I think they would have attacked us. They looked like they'd slice up their own grandmothers. You were carried by some servants to this room to recover. We're still in the palace. Odd, but I thought I overhead one of the servants mention this room was used for visiting dignitaries. You must have made an impression on the Emperor after all."

"What else happened?" Ashitaka asked her. "Did the Emperor say anything else? Will he help us?"

Takiko's face fell, and with it, Ashitaka's confidence. She held out the small scroll for him to see.

"The Emperor had a scribe write this out, and he stamped it with the Imperial Seal. It's an order for Asano to withdraw from Iron Town and for Lady Eboshi to return to its leadership."

That news should have made them both elated, but Ashitaka could easily see the shortcoming.

"That's all?" he asked.

"Yes," Takiko said. "The Emperor won't provide Iron Town with any soldiers, should Asano resist being ousted. Too many confrontations to the north, he said. He can't spare the men or weaponry. If this does come to open fighting, we will have to do it ourselves."

Ashitaka nodded glumly, unable to tear his eyes away from the Emperor's mandate. Asano may or may not obey it. And knowing his character, Asano would not leave Iron Town peacefully. With all of his mercenaries, he could crush Iron Town, and the Emperor would never know differently. Even if neighboring villages eventually discovered Asano's treachery, word would never reach Kyoto except in rumors that would be beneath the Emperor's ears.

"How are you feeling?" Takiko inquired, interrupting his depressed thoughts. "Was it that curse that made you pass out?"

As if to prove he wasn't as weak as he'd displayed earlier, Ashitaka laboriously climbed to his feet. His balance was slightly off, but he managed to mask it.

"Maybe," he responded. "I think I'm a little better now that our mission is over." But in light of what he might be heading into next, Ashitaka doubted he was really better at all. He only hoped this journey to Kyoto wasn't a complete waste.

"Take off your shirt," Takiko told him. He looked at her with surprise, and a hint of warning in the set of his mouth, but she just stood there with her fists on her hips and explained, "I just want to see your wound—that's all--since you're so stubborn and won't let me find a doctor."

After a second he acquiesced, removing his haori to let her see his black-and-purple blotched chest. Her eyes enlarged slightly, but she kept quiet, gently probing the skin around his shoulder with cool, clean fingers.

"This looks bad," she said, then met his eyes. "There's no way to cure it?"

"If there is, I don't know it," Ashitaka replied. "The last time this happened, I was cured by the Deer God—the Great Forest Spirit." Maybe one of the other forest gods would know what to do. Maybe if he found San's wolf brothers—if he could manage it without San taking his head off. "If it spreads much more, it will kill me," he said. "That's why we have to get back to Iron Town, and quickly. Is Yakkuru being taken care of?"

"Yes," Takiko replied with a near emotionless voice that hardly matched the shock on her face. "A servant took him to the castle stables soon after you collapsed." She managed a shallow smile. "I must say, for all the damage you did—that was you, wasn't it, that smashed the roof of the palace?—the Emperor has been extremely merciful. I'm surprised he didn't just throw us both into jail, or kill us. I gave him that bag of gold. Well, I gave it to one of the servants to give to him, anyway. I said it was a gift from Lady Eboshi. At the very least maybe it will pay for some of the damage."

Ashitaka pulled away from her fingers and took his shirt from her. In truth he was deeply disappointed that a man as powerful as the Emperor couldn't aid them. He had tried. San and Iron Town both forgive him, he had tried. There was nothing for it now but to go home and help in whatever way he could, though, as he tied his belt around the haori and tightened it, feeling the sheath of his short sword, he was grimly accepting the reality that blood may be the only solution left to them.

Without any further sight of or word from the Emperor, Ashitaka and Takiko left the Imperial Palace. The servants and the samurai alike seemed quite glad to see their backs. Upon their exit, Ashitaka was able to get a good look at the damage he'd caused earlier on his rampage. He didn't think it looked quite that bad, although massive support pillars had given way, and the roof over the entrance looked about to cave in. There were stone rubble and hashed wooden planks strewn around the place, and Ashitaka tried to ignore some smears of blood on the remaining structure. His stomach sank when he recalled the fury that had driven him to the brink of such destructive madness, and he silently vowed never to allow it to happen again. If he could help it. He wouldn't risk unleashing that sort of power again. It was much too dangerous.

Ashitaka decided to take back roads away from the palace stables, avoiding as many eyes as possible. The commotion had been heard by some of the citizens, and they pressed into the streets towards the palace to see or hear what had happened. They still attracted some attention, but thankfully not so much now that their purse was empty. They traveled down the street towards the city gate, passing by the plain, shabby inn they'd stayed at the night before.

"Do you want to rest a bit before going back to Iron Town?" Takiko asked a bit loudly, to be heard over the clamor of commerce taking place in the open street.

He really did, Ashitaka thought, though he didn't know if his weariness was from physical exertion or simply the gloomy knowledge of what lay ahead of him.

"No," he answered. "We'll stop for supplies to see us through on the journey back, but we leave immediately."

"Um, Ashitaka, could we stop for just a moment?"

"Why?"

"Just stop, okay?"

Ashitaka, mildly puzzled, humored her, pulling off to the side of the street outside a seamstress' shop. He didn't bother to tie Yakkuru's reins to one of the wooden posts lining the street outside the shops—she'd said just a moment.

"What is it?" he asked Takiko.

Takiko fixed liquid black eyes on him, fingers briefly grazing the deep gash that marred her cheek.

"I don't want to go back. I ran away from there, and if I return, everyone will know my shame. It's better for me to stay here. The people are rude here, but not all of them. The lady who owns this shop is really nice. She even offered me a job as her assistant. I think I'm going to take it. I need a new start."

Ashitaka looked at her, slightly amazed at this unexpected announcement.

"But Takiko, your family…..your home is in Iron Town!"

Takiko shook her head sadly. "Not anymore. There's nothing there for me now. I realized that last night after I…..kissed you. I don't want to go back. I want to put my life back together again. I think this city would be a good place to do it. There's so much opportunity here, not like in Iron Town. And….." She trailed off hesitantly.

"Yes?" he prompted.

"…..I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of going back. Ashitaka, there's going to be a war, you know, if Asano doesn't leave. I know I'm a coward, but I….."

"You don't have to explain," Ashitaka consoled her. "I understand."

Takiko bit her lower lip and cast down her eyes.

"…..And I don't think any less of you for wanting to stay." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Goodbye, Takiko, and good luck." He turned around and had his foot in the stirrup when he felt something tug on his sleeve, and he saw Takiko at his side, her hand balled up into a fist.

"Here," she said, discreetly slipping a small handful of gold coins into his sleeve. "Take this for the road. Just in case."

He looked at her questioningly, and as if predicting what he would say, Takiko stated firmly, with tears welling up in her eyes,

"The Emperor's the richest man in the world. He wouldn't have noticed anyway if a few coins went missing….."

Ashitaka smiled suddenly, lightened by her attitude.

"Thanks," he said, swinging his leg up over Yakkuru's back and settling into the saddle. "Take care of yourself, Takiko." Without a look back, he nudged Yakkuru to merge with the steady flow of people coursing through the streets, his sights set on the city gate and, far to the west, Iron Town.

Kaya twisted the sleeves of her kimono anxiously, hardly breathing in the dim coolness of one of the many secret tunnels dug beneath the edges of Iron Town. She was facing the tattered, reed-woven curtain that was the only thing blocking off the tunnel's entrance to the outside. There were other women in the small cavern—lit with a single candle—waiting with her. The tension was thick in the stale air, but none of them uttered a sound. All were just staring at the mat, poised and ready in case anyone should come through.

The mat twitched aside, and one woman let out a faint gasp that broke the silence as a veiled, scarf covered head poked through, followed by another and another. The completely cloth-covered shapes slunk into the cavern like the shadows running along the earthen walls, armed with knives and rifles and a varied array of weapons, whatever could be scrounged up and used. The figures stepped out of the tunnel and stood facing the loose knot of women, a few of whom were also armed. One woman—Kaya knew nothing more about her than that her name was Maru—let out a wail and ran towards the veiled people. One of them, in the center, dropped a rifle and swept Maru up into open arms, tearing away veil and scarf. Kaya recognized Kana, Maru's twin sister, and the two of them cried and hugged each other fiercely. The other women in the cavern were also greeting their friends and neighbors with hugs and kisses. There were only a couple of men among those wearing the veils that almost completely hid their faces. They embraced and kissed wives and children, and the cavern was alive with a joyous but hushed sound of laughter and prayers. Kaya's eyes began searching frantically from face to face, and her heartbeat quickened. Where was Kenshin!

One of the women bearing rifles strode past and patted her roughly on the back.

"Don't worry, Kaya," she said with a jovial smile. "He's bringing up the rear. Got a few scratches in the skirmish, but other than that, he's safe and sound."

Kaya stared at her, wide-eyed, and at the news, let out the breath she'd been holding. She thought she must have been blue in the face, she was so worried. True to the woman's word, the reed mat covering the entrance to the tunnel was swept aside and another person dressed in black and veiled with the same white cloth around his lower face as all the others. He shed the veil and stood staring wordlessly at Kaya. Kenshin hardly ever betrayed emotion, but she could tell by the slight softening of his eyes that he was glad to see her.

With a half-strangled laugh of relief she sprang forward like the others and leapt on him, binding him tightly in her arms. For days she'd been frantically worried that he might be hurt in the ambush on Asano's supply train. She could understand why Eboshi had wanted his fighting experience with the group, but she had been reluctant to let him go. It had been so strange going about her duties without her faithful shadow heeling her. She was just glad to have him back in one piece.

Not every woman and child gathered there shared the same glowing feeling.

"Where's Mitsuru?" asked one tubby woman, a newborn baby cradled in her arms.

"Kanosuke?" called another, slimmer one, without children but craning her neck as if trying to see if more of the black-clad figures were hiding behind those that had arrived safely. "Kanosuke?" Kaya was glad that Kenshin whisked her out of there as muffled sobs and tears began mixing in with the happy sounds of families and friends reuniting.

On their way back to report to Eboshi, Kaya interrogated Kenshin herself.

"Where are the others?" she inquired. "I know that Mitsuru and Umeko and Sakura were in this group. Did they--?"

"They're dead," Kenshin said bluntly. "As are Gomoe, Abe, Meiko, Jun, and Moriko. And another I don't know the name of. Asano's caravan guards were well armed and ready, almost as if they had been expecting an attack. We were lucky to get away with what we did. We buried the iron and the bodies we could recover, but it was not as clean an escape as I'd wished for."

Kaya shuddered. "Do they know, then?"

"It's quite likely. If I were Asano, I'd have suspected us from the beginning." He lifted the hem of his veil and let it drop again. "These may have helped throw him off the scent; warriors of Akita wear scarves and veils like these, but a warlord as seasoned as Asano won't be so easily tricked. It's just a matter of time before he uproots us."

"But the raid was successful, wasn't it?" It had cost lives, Kaya knew, but she was also certain that, had Asano's mercenaries been re-supplied, they'd be almost impossible to oust.

"Yes. Asano has nothing now to trade with, until more iron is made, and we killed nearly all of the train's guards, excepting one or two who escaped before we could bring them down. Asano will almost certainly know about this any minute now."

They climbed out of the earth-smelling, dark cavern up a rickety ladder that let out through a concealed door in Toki's root cellar. A few taps on the door and a sliding, grinding noise later, and the door was opened up by a brightly grinning Toki on the other side.

"Back already?" she said, holding up a lantern for them to see by as they climbed out. She gave them each a hand and helped hauled them out of the narrow hole; Kenshin didn't need much help, but Kaya had a tough time crawling around through tunnels and secret doors in her kimono. There were times when she fondly reminisced back to the days she worked in the fields back home in plain, efficient pants and shirts.

Toki wanted to hear the details from Kenshin, too, as they threaded their way up through Toki's house. It had had some sections added on to it since the resistance began. Just minor renovations to better plan the overthrowing of a tyrant. Kenshin was a little more tight-lipped with Toki. It wasn't that he didn't trust her; he just didn't like having to repeat himself all the time. He still had to make his report to Eboshi, who probably wouldn't be happy to be the last one to hear everything.

The Council meeting upstairs in Toki's house was not very different from all the others. Eboshi sat in the circle with the women and two men—Gonza and Koroku—who made up the group. Kaya listened as everyone listed their progress in their areas of responsibilities over the past few days, all the while discreetly trying to read body language and facial expressions and hidden tones to try and uncover any perpetrators masking as comrades. She really didn't have very much skill in it, she thought. Kaya would have preferred to believe the best in people, not try to root out what may or may not be treason. Why Eboshi had asked her to spy on the other members of the Council, she had no idea. Many of them wore their concern plainly on their faces. After weeks of secretly following the members around, she came to realize that the person she trusted the least was herself. But then, there was the matter of Murasaki's disappearance. The witty lady who worked the forge hadn't been seen for days, and though she wasn't a member of the Council, she was entrusted with some of its plans, including the employment of the lepers to make weapons. If she had betrayed them, then their resistance wouldn't last any longer than it would take for Asano's thousands of mercenaries to sweep in and crush them all. Kaya had been worrying about that matter for quite some time. If she had failed to detect a turncoat, then they would all be doomed. And she would be to blame.

Gonza was speaking now. The men and women under his charge had slipped out enough tools and weapons to supply nearly their entire movement. He was hesitant as always to trust even the people working for him, although Yohko and Sonoko assured him all of his thieves were loyal citizens of Iron Town and Lady Eboshi. Additional iron from the forge was being snuck down regularly to the lepers, who were still pounding away in the hot, confining compartments underground, making rifles and bombs and even a few cannons. And a "surprise" which Gonza was not yet willing to announce, though surely Eboshi would know of it. Kaya itched with curiosity to know just what was going on amongst the lepers, deep underground.

Yohko and Sonoko by now had spread word of the resistance to every member of Iron Town they felt could be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Mainly those who had suffered grievances as Asano's hand, or his men's, and were simmering with resentment. They had had enough of the public demonstrations and taxes and forced labor in the mines and wood mills. Hardly a moment went by when Kaya didn't hear complaining on the street, carefully kept to low voices to avoid the notice of the red-and-white-clad strong-arms in Asano's hire.

Emi and Toki reported that the supply train bound for Kawashimo had been successfully deterred—but at a price. In all, nine men and women who should have returned from the guerrilla attack were buried out in the woods along with the iron they had raided. The train to Azo had more guards to it, and Eboshi deemed fit to allow it to complete its trip to Azo to pick up weapons and food and then attack as it passed through the forest—the trickier route that Princess Mononoke would also be watching. Whatever they could steal from that train would benefit their cause. A timid, big-eyed girl named Asako reported that enough food had been hidden away to provide for the fighters in the resistance for three or four days and more was being sneakily gathered, a little at a time. Everything else was in enemy clutches, and Asano's mercenaries now had commands to from their leader to begin searching houses and shops for any hidden supplies. Kaya was among those helping to stow it all underground and anywhere it could be hidden—in wells, beneath tatami mats, in haylofts, anywhere the searchers would be unlikely to find it.

"Has anything been discovered yet as to Murasaki's whereabouts?" asked Eboshi in a cool but gentle way. Kaya thought she must be feeling the urgency of finding the forge woman just as keenly as the rest of the Council. Kaya considered the pretty forge woman she'd met a while back, while coordinating with the lepers beneath the forge. She had seemed so nice and so funny. Surely she wouldn't turn them over to Asano's men…..would she?

"Nothing yet, my Lady," answered Toki. "Her husband doesn't know where she's gone, either, though he's so busy drinking with Asano's mercenaries that I doubt he cares where his wife has disappeared to." She ground her teeth with irritation.

"Keep an eye out, then, and continue asking questions," Eboshi instructed. "We must keep at it, in the meanwhile. Everything is nearly culminated to a head. We will soon be able to strike out at Asano and pay him back for all that he's done to us. Once the preparations are finished, perhaps two or three days more, we will begin. I will make an announcement to the people tomorrow night."

There were a few enthusiastic smiles around the circle seated on the floor in Toki's attic, but for the most part, the faces around Kaya reflected confused and worried expressions. 'Oh, Ashitaka, please be safe,' she said privately. As the meeting adjourned and the Council got to their feet, some waiting around before leaving so that a stream of men and women leaving Toki's house wouldn't be too suspicious, Kaya heard Eboshi call her name.

"I wish to borrow the services of your Kenshin again," Eboshi said, once Kaya drew near to her. The expression on her face was almost motherly. Kaya replied hesitantly,

"Are you sending him on another supply raid?" There was still the train to Azo to be dealt with. Further away than Kawashimo, it would take longer to return. Kaya nervously recalled how close to danger he'd been in that one. And Azo's had more guards with it.

"I may, but I do not think it will be necessary," Eboshi said. "I want him to take a short journey, that's all."

"A journey?" Kaya repeated wonderingly. What did she mean by that?

"Nothing too dangerous, I assure you. For you I have a somewhat more difficult task, I'm afraid."

Kaya blinked and resisted the urge to twist the fabric of her sleeves in agitation.

"Yes, my Lady?"

Eboshi presented her with a folded up piece of parchment.

"You are to be my link with Princess Mononoke throughout all this. She knows and trusts you, I take it, seeing as you are Ashitaka's sister. This paper contains instructions for you both. I highly doubt that savage little beast girl can read, so you will have to explain to her what I have in store. The forest is hardly free from peril. Asano's men are camped throughout it, and there are wild animals and beast gods to contend with. But I have faith that you will be able to rise to the task."

Kaya swallowed. Hard. She'd much rather continue her fruitless work as a spy than accept what Eboshi was putting before her! Wild animals and mercenaries! Heaven help her!

"Can't…...can't Kenshin come with me?" Kaya nearly whimpered.

Eboshi looked down on her with compassionate eyes.

"You do not have to go, if you choose not to. But I am asking you, Kaya. I need your help."

Kaya felt like she was swallowing a boulder, whole, as she answered with a wavering voice, wondering out just how talented Lady Eboshi was at persuading people to do what she wanted, and took the paper from her pale, slender hand.

"I will, my Lady."

Author's Notes:

Getting a bit closer now to the finale, finally. Sorry this chapter's so long. Had a lot to cover. I'm surprised I was able to finish in the amount of time I did, especially juggling a wedding and a couple other fanfics as well. The wedding part is taken care of at least (and my writing skills, such as they are, will be employed in making out thank you notes for a few weeks). School starts up again, for me, next week, so I may be a bit busy. I will, however, faithfully continue to write. My thanks to everyone for your support and for reading my story. It's come a long way from how I originally planned it years ago. Thanks for helping me to improve my writing and for all your kind words.

Until the next chapter! Yuriko


	22. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 22

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny Chipman)

Chapter Twenty-two

Kaya tried holding back a sneeze as she jotted down tick marks on the leathery piece of parchment she was taking inventory on. In one of the resistance's larger underground stores—one of several that had existed from the founding of Iron Town for just this purpose, she was counting sacks of rice just brought in and adding them to the cache. One of the sacks was half spilled all over the earthen floor; a tiny hole that appeared to have been chewed through one corner pointed to mice as the culprits. Kaya pursed her lips in displeasure. She didn't like rats and mice. They had no business eating up the food that would see the resistance through the battle! Unless they were fighting for Princess Mononoke, though Kaya couldn't rationally see what help they could be. She wasn't normally in charge of the inventory, but Asako had complained that her taskmaster was making her work extra hours at the saw mill (Kaya had heard rumors that she was punished for dawdling) so Kaya had been asked to substitute. As if she didn't have enough herself to do.

When she was finished, she gathered her charcoal pencil and parchment, as well as the dim lamp she had to see by, and climbed laboriously through one of the tunnels that connected to the cavity beneath Toki's house, and from there up the ladder to pop up, as if by magic, out of the floor in the main room of the house. She banged the top of her head on the bottom of the zataku the residents ate dinner on and stifled a curse, massaging the pain out of her scalp. With a bit of maneuvering and scooting, she emerged from the secret hole and replaced the tatami mat over it. Staring at the zataku, she frowned. It was possible that Toki and Koroku had had visitors earlier, maybe even while she was down in the cellar. Asano's mercenaries were making unwelcome guests of themselves these days. Not that they were ever welcome in the first place. But Asano seemed to know that something was amiss in Iron Town, and he was having people's homes and shops searched almost regularly for whatever that "something" might be. Kaya's heart beat fast whenever those red-and-white-robed men began turning over mattresses or peeking into jars, but so far the tense balance remained untipped, and the people of Iron Town were allowed an uneasy rest for another day.

She journeyed from the main room to the little closet that served now as her bedroom. Not many days ago, the house she and Kenshin had been given by Lady Eboshi had been confiscated to house more mercenaries. A couple days of hard rain and sinking temperatures not uncommon with the arrival of autumn had the soldiers stationed outside in the hills complaining. Kaya hadn't been the only one ousted. Normally she supposed she would have minded, but being closer to Toki and Eboshi made it easier to help out with the resistance. And if she had to sleep in a cramped closet with only a futon, a pillow, and a change of clothes to her name, then it was just as well. Kenshin had only a corner in the front room.

She stowed away the list in a panel of wood in the wall that had a removable knot and stopped it up again tightly. Looking at it, it just appeared to be a plain, unsuspicious board. Kaya hoped any mercenaries who came searching the house would see it that way.

She found Toki in the kitchen making a meal for her husband and the refugees under her roof. Kaya smelled boiling carrots, and her stomach cramped up with hunger. Despite working eight hours a day in the temporary kitchens set up in the middle of town to feed Asano's hired men, she didn't get a bite to eat herself unless she was on break. Which wasn't very often, or very long. Not that what the mercenaries got to eat was all that appetizing. Asano's strong-arms were hurting for the failed supply train to Kawashimo—for days it had been nothing but plain rice and maybe a couple of leeks to chew on. Even the carrots Toki was cooking were small and a bit wizened.

"How are things?" she asked the older woman, peering around her at the cutting board where Toki was mincing leeks.

"Okay, I suppose," was the response. "Lady Eboshi's been up in her room all day. I don't think she's even eaten anything yet. I try to take a bowl up, but the door's locked, and there's no answer. Other than that, though, people are getting their jobs done. I'd kind of like to know what's going on with Gonza, though. Usually he's over here every day to check on Lady Eboshi and the resistance, and he keeps talking about the plans and all that, but you know him. If you so much as say "top o' the mornin'" to him, he just gives you that cold stare, like his face is a rock. Well, his head's about as hard as one, I think."

Kaya giggled behind her kimono sleeve. She wouldn't have said it out loud, but she more than halfway agreed with the woman. Toki tipped the leeks into the boiling water and began stirring it steadily. Her other hand went to her hip, and she slouched lazily over the wood burning stove. A moment later, the blackened face of Koroku was seen passing under the kitchen door's curtain.

"Hey, honey," Toki said casually without even looking at him. "Don't even think of walkin' in here until you clean yourself up."

Koroku grumbled. "But it smells so good in here, and I'm famished! It's bad enough I'm sentenced to work out in those stinking mines all day every day. Is it so much to ask to get a bite to eat and a bit of respect?"

"Which would you rather have?" Toki inquired, focused on the bubbling pot she was stirring. "The bite or the respect?"

"From you, I wouldn't expect either!" Koroku retorted.

They often bantered like this, Kaya noticed. Within seconds they were both chuckling, and Koroku relented, going outside to the water barrels behind the house to wash up. Ever since that scene in the square not too long ago, he was put down in the mines to harvest the rich deposits of iron ore for which Iron Town was named. Mostly it was a punishment, Toki said. Her voice always took on an undertone of worry when she talked about it. The mines were dangerous. Cave-ins, toxic gases, accidents…..they were all a part of the harsh risks anyone who opposed Asano had to get used to, if they were sent there. Kaya thought it would be better to be in jail.

They sat around the table in the main room eating dinner. Eboshi still had not come down, despite Toki's repeated attempt to coax her from the little attic room on the top floor. The conversation during the meal was less than pleasant these days. People in Iron Town didn't have much of anything cheery to talk about anymore, it seemed. Koroku told them about the conditions in the mine, and how hard the work was. Kaya thought death would be better to being sent down there. She would hate to work underground, where it was dark and cramped. Just the idea of so much rock and earth overhead that could crush her at any moment gave her chills. She had a strange appreciation for working in the food lines now. No one in Iron Town was jobless. That was for sure. Everyone had something to do, and many had to see to working for the resistance in addition to the duties Asano's thugs handed out. They almost didn't have time to plan a rebellion. Toki at least had retained her job at the forge, though the hours were longer. Dark circles were beginning to appear under her eyes, and she sounded more tired. Her smile and quick wit was in ready supply, though, a trait Kaya greatly admired in the woman.

"We're slaves," Koroku said miserably. "That's all there is to it. Those people don't even see us as human beings anymore. We're nothing more than beasts of burden as far as they're concerned. And Asano's just getting richer for it."

Toki and Koroku stayed up talking for a while after the meal, and Kaya poured some of the still-warm leftover carrot and leek stew in a small pot for Kenshin. The samurai had been conscripted to work in one of the several smithies that beat and molded the iron the great forge produced into tools, weapons, and any other necessary items. He had been stubbornly unwilling to leave Kaya's side for any time at all, but such stubbornness couldn't hold up long on the wrong side of a rifle wielded by a heartless mercenary. Kaya practically had to order him to go, lest he cause trouble neither she nor the resistance could afford at this critical time. The spacious, barn-like building not a full block from the forge still had a warm, orange glow emanating through the cracks in its walls and the open doors and windows. It was one of the few shops still lit up this late. Asano's imposed curfew for all citizens kept most folk off the streets after dusk, lest they gather together to plot against their overlords. A handful of women scurried to complete their day's shopping or bring their men dinner just as Kaya was. She spotted the red back of one of the streets guards on the corner of the block and wasted no time ducking into the blacksmith's barn. The last thing she wanted was to be stopped and interrogated as to why a "little girl" was out and about at this hour.

The interior of the smithy was almost uncomfortably warm, in contrast with the cool autumn night outside. Kenshin was the only townsperson on duty; he stood alone at the anvil, hammering away at a long piece of steel that would most likely become another sword to arm Asano's men. Or perhaps it would be sold with the rest of Iron Town's living to line Asano's pockets. Kenshin didn't notice Kaya's presence at first. He re-fired and once again commenced banging away at the scarlet hunk of metal on the block. It clanged brightly with each stroke. Kaya took a moment to appreciate his glistening, shirtless torso, the muscles in his arms and shoulders stretching and contracting with each blow of the hammer. His jet black hair was in slight disarray. A few strands had pulled away from the long, tightly bound tail to stick to his face and neck His matching eyes were intensely concentrated on the task at hand.

Suddenly the hammer froze high above his head in much the way Kaya had seen him swing a sword. Those eyes rose from his work and locked onto her, his face expressionless. Kaya smiled at him, and was giddily pleased when his own mouth curved up slightly to return it.

Her visit could not be long, no matter how much she wished it. Kenshin would not be free until midnight when his replacement came—the forge and the smithies never slept. Besides, Kaya had another errand still to take care of before she could turn in, and it needed to wait until nightfall. Returning to Toki's home to find only Koroku still up, idly playing a game with string on his fingers—his wife had undoubtedly gone back to the forge for her shift—she slipped into her closet and lit a candle to see by, setting it down on a protruding shelf near the floor. She drew a tiny knife from her sleeve to rip away the seams in her futon. Not far from the corner of the thick, fluffy mattress was the folded up piece of paper carrying Lady Eboshi's instructions to both her and Princess Mononoke. Kaya had already read hers, but she couldn't make out much of what San was to do. She hoped San would understand, at least. For Kaya's plans tonight, the paper had been carefully dipped in clear wax to waterproof it. She stayed only long enough to sew up the corner of the futon again and extinguish the candle; she then placed both knife and paper carefully in her kimono and set off again.

Dodging the mercenaries in the streets was not easy task, but if one practiced enough and kept eyes moving constantly in all directions, it could be done. Kaya even removed her shoes to reduce the noise of her footsteps as she went. Shadows were her friends and lamp posts her foes as she threaded her way towards the edge of the city. The only other sounds audible were men talking outside the taverns or on street corners, crickets, and the occasional dog or cat roaming the streets. She was familiar with the particular passage she would be using tonight—an old, abandoned shack that had once been a smokehouse that was too small to accommodate mercenaries. It sat almost against the broad timber wall that surrounded the whole of Iron Town, in a clearing that had never been used for anything at all, really. When the coast was clear, Kaya darted over to it and opened the door swiftly. It creaked a little for want of oil, but she leaped inside like a fox, heart pumping rapidly, and shut herself in. The shack was rounded and had actually been a huge tree once--one of the oldest in the forest. It had been cut down to help in the original construction of Iron Town and the ten-foot wide stump hollowed out and covered in a conical roof with only an opening at the top to let smoke out. The moon was visible straight overhead, shining down into the trunk. Kaya had to climb over and under the poles that meat had once hung on to dry to reach a soft spot of earth in the back of the smokehouse. She prodded it testily with a balled fist then felt around the spot for the corner of a hemp-woven mat. She peeled it away, leaving a wide hole. This tunnel, not more than ten feet in length, she had helped dig herself, during the quiet watches of the night. She lowered her body into it, covering her escape again crudely with the mat. It was doubtful anyone would come to investigate this old, useless shack. She hoped.

Surrounded by the smell of earth and close warmth, Kaya crawled to the end of the passage. Another dirt covered mat concealed the exit. She slowly and carefully lifted it, exhaling slowly to ward off the claustrophobia. There were fewer watch towers along this side of Iron Town, the side against the steep mountain slopes that ran to the lake, but it was foolish to take chances. Kaya lifted the mat to peep around. The campfires of Asano's mercenaries erratically dotted the hillside, halfway to the top. Tents were pitched in disorder. Asano's soldiers may be trained killers, but they held little order among their own ranks. A few of the red and white-clad samurai were about, carrying dinner bowls or leading horses through the camp. Kaya saw too many men to count. She carefully eased the mat down over her. Time to wait.

She occasionally checked over the next hour—or was it two? Or three?—until the campfires were only smoldering. Thin columns of smoke curled up towards the star-studded sky. There were only a few mercenaries awake now, sitting by the fires to glean some heat or standing guard around the encampment, swords weighed on shoulders. Those would remain, or be switched throughout the night. Now was as good a time as ever. Kaya swallowed and half-choked. She wished she could just go back to Toki's, curl up in bed, and pretend that all of this was a bad dream. She tried not to think of what Asano's men might do to her if she was caught. Those images had made her nervous all the way here, ever since Eboshi sent her on this risky mission. If only Kenshi could be with her! But no, it would have been even riskier to bring him along—what if they were spotted? And he would be so concerned for her safety. He'd take foolish risks to protect her, even if it meant fighting all of the samurai in the encampment himself. He was kind of like Ashitaka, in that respect. Oh, how she missed him. Kenshin had no idea she was here. She had told him during her earlier visit that she had business to be about for the Council. Which wasn't a lie, in truth. But he wouldn't be too suspicious. She hoped she could make it back to him in one piece and with her virtue intact. Eboshi had said she still had some purpose for him, but when or what she hadn't said. Kaya whispered a short prayer under her breath.

Immediately before her were the squarish tents made of dirty white canvas. To her right and about two hundred feet away was a lookout. To her left the way was clear. That was the way to the lakeshore, and it was rarely guarded, Kaya knew. One guard along the timber wall may have seemed insufficient, but she kept in mind that the entire camp—except for the women who were brought along to take care of the chores—was full of trained killers. All it would take was one man to spot her and shout, and she would be…..well…..finished would be almost too kind.

The campfires began to be fewer, and men shuffled wearily to their tents, disappearing inside. Some just unrolled grass mats on the ground and collapsed, snoring as soon as they could find a comfortable position. There was still that one guard on the far edge of the encampment.

She waited till his back was turned to emerge from her hiding place. She replaced the mat and hastily kicked dirts over it to conceal it. Hopefully no one would look too close or think too much on the scuff marks on the ground. With a disheartening feeling, Kaya realized she was placing a lot of things on hopes tonight. Unwilling to push her luck too hard, Kaya sprang from the entrance to the burrow and took refuge behind one of the low, white tents. A nestling falling from a tree and fortunate to survive, she found herself now on an adder's nest. A samurai, wearing only a pair of filthy gray hakama and straw sandals, despite the cool weather, was facing her across the light of a dying campfire. His glazed eyes glittered as the embers crackled and floated up. Kaya went rigid, breath coming in tight, short puffs. The samurai stared dully at her but didn't move. Kaya's eyes fell on a flask in his hand. He was stone drunk. She wondered if the man even saw her, or if he did, what sort of apparition she seemed to his inebriated eyes. Hardly daring to take a step, Kaya looked around. Within arm's reach was a makeshift clothesline, tied from the ridgepole of one tent to the next a few paces away.

With a barely steady voice she told the drunk mercenary, hand stretching towards the red and white garments on the line, "I'll just take this away to wash, see? There are some stains on it." Maybe he couldn't tell one washerwoman from the next. Maybe he just thought she was a townswoman sent to do the laundry. Maybe he couldn't think at all. Kaya was intensely glad she really wasn't one of the assigned women to the camp. She heard those women tell tales of what they had to go through among the coarse, rude mercenaries. But she could pretend if she must. She gathered a couple of the thick robes in her arms, as well as snatched up a conical straw hat that she tipped onto her head. In one swift motion, she turned and marched away from that tent. A bit late to be doing the laundry, she knew, but maybe no one would notice. Walking as quickly as she could, Kaya set her eyes on the edge of the encampment closest to the lakeshore and kept on, though her knees were shaking fit to make her fall down. Hopefully the darkness and the robes would simply identify her as a washerwoman doing her duties. She forced herself to slow her gait—no sense in acting very suspicious, in as much of a hurry as she was. Kaya didn't encounter any more soldiers as she strode down to the lake—most of the men seemed to want nothing more than to keep warm at the campfires and eat, drink, or sleep, much to her relief.

Jerkily descending the steep slope to the lake, Kaya let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the sounds of the camp—men talking (or snoring), horses whickering, and fires crackling, faded into the soothing chirps of crickets and an occasional owl's hoot. The raspy sounds of water lapping at the shore invited her down. Broken shards of silvery moonlight reflected on the gentle waves licking the rocky shore. Still aware that the lake might be being watched from the towers and rooftops of Iron Town, Kaya dropped the robes she was carrying and her own kimono, rolling them up into a big ball that she stuck behind a large boulder, a safe distance from the tide. She cringed behind that boulder, shivering in little more than her undergarments. More out of fear than the autumn chill. She looked back to the town—its high walls of pointed timber logs looked massive and foreboding, a great hulking mass resembling a demon in the darkness. Smoke was ever pouring from the forge in the middle of it. Kaya turned her eyes back to the lake. It, too, seemed formidable, a wide ocean between her and her goal. Biting her lower lip, Kaya crept out towards the water, taking shelter behind as many rocks and washed-up logs as she could.

Wading out into the lake, Kaya let out a gasp—it was cold! Not cold so as to kill a person—the season was still early—but definitely cold enough to be unwelcome. With a soft moan Kaya hunched down and penetrated further into the water, steeling herself as more and more of her bare skin was assaulted. With just her head showing above the water, Kaya looked back one last time at Iron Town, then submerged with a deep breath.

Kaya had always bee a good swimmer. She could even beat Ashitaka in the races back home. Thinking about her brother made her lonely, though, so she pushed him aside and thought only about San. The wax-coated list of instructions was carefully tucked inside her undergarments. She could feel it against her thigh as she cut through the water. She skimmed below the surface, rising only for a fresh breath of air when necessary, like a porpoise. Iron Town shrank in the distance, if not by much. Across the lake, Kaya could see lanterns on the patrol boats that floated on the water at night, looking for signs of a possible enemy attack. Asano was paranoid, it seemed. Whether they watched for trouble from the forest, or from the road on the land, or both, Kaya couldn't say. They weren't out fishing, for sure. Kaya's limbs grew sluggish over time. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but her body had grown accustomed to the water's temperature. She swam in more or less a straight line towards the opposite shore and the grayish-green hill that was the entry to the forbidden realm of the wolf princess. When Kaya's belly scraped the soft mud of the bank at last, her head broke the water and she peered around her for danger, blinking the water out of her eyes. The boats were still on the far end of the lake, and the woods ahead were quiet. The slope here was too steep for mercenaries to camp on, thankfully, but most of the trees that were any thicker than her arm had been cut down. Kaya crawled up the bank, her skin smarting with the cold now that she was in the open air. Occasional breezes did little to help. Checking that Eboshi's instructions were still safe, she took cover behind a leafy shrub that had been too unprofitable to reap. Her teeth chattered involuntarily, and her breath was faintly visible in the darkness. The hillside was trampled grass, torn up in some places, and the edge of the forest thinly treed. As far as she knew, Asano wasn't logging this part of the mountains much—most of the trees felled were on the other side of the lake—valuable cherry and teak, oak and maple. The northeastern parts were more thickly thronged with cedars and pines and aspens. Still, when Kaya looked at the leftover stumps of trees four or five paces across, she could feel the pangs of sadness Princess Mononoke must feel at seeing the destruction of her forest home. Some of these trees must have brushed the highest clouds in their lifetime, she thought.

A bush nearby rustled suddenly, and Kaya thought she heard something heavy like a rock hit the ground. The instant her head swiveled towards the source of the sound, she felt a knife at her throat.

"Aah!" she cried, terrified. "Please don't hurt me!"

The knife withdrew, and after a second, Kaya dared to open here eyes and turn around to identify her attacker. Her hart nearly stopped at the sight of a round face crowned with shaggy white hair, but it was the demonic eyes and pointed, fox-like ears that nearly made her faint. The creature held a long stone knife in its hand, at the ready. It wasn't until a woman's clear voice spoke her name that Kaya broke free of her paralyzing fright.

"Kaya? What are you doing here?" A moment later the demon's face came off—a mask, Kaya saw, and San's features were dimly visible.

"San!" Kaya exclaimed. "Oh, you scared me half to death." She studied the other woman. Her arms were bare and covered in blood, as was her dress. That beastly mask was also spattered with blood. "San! You're bleeding! Are you hurt?"

"I'm well enough," San answered. "In any case, most of it's not mine."

"You were on another raid again tonight, weren't you?"

The wolfish woman nodded, squatting down to speak with her eye to eye.

"Those warriors are getting stronger. They aren't as afraid as they used to be." She gingerly dabbed a gash on her arm. "They have a tall man among them that gives them orders. He has a face like a sheer cliff. I nearly got close enough to kill him, but he nicked me with his sword." She flexed her arm slowly. Kaya saw that her biceps were wrapped with strips of cloth and bark, but soaked through with blood. "I want to kill him, too. Almost as much as I want to kill Asano." Skipping to the next subject almost conversationally, she told Kaya, "I succeeded in destroying another mill, though. Look, you can see the smoke over that rise." She pointed towards the west. Sure enough, a thick pillar of smoke was steadily winding up to the stars. Kaya had mixed feelings, watching it. San was smiling proudly like a cub that had just pounced on a mouse, but Kaya wondered what the repercussions would be for Iron Town. Asano could not drive them much harder than he already was. And he would be determined to hunt down San. Maybe even kill her.

San stuck her knife in to the soft loam by Kaya's toes and asked again, "Why are you here?"

Kaya remembered Eboshi's note. Her pebbled skin tingled, and she rubbed her arms and legs to keep them warm. Realize she was practically naked normally would have sent her scurrying for cover, but for some reason, she didn't feel embarrassed before San. She thought of the woman as fondly as a sister. "Eboshi sent me with her instructions for you." While her trembling fingers pulled out the folded paper, San dropped that dreadful mask on Kaya's head. It smelled horrible, but the long wolf pelt that hung down Kaya's back and shoulders helped to warm her up. Kaya unfolded the note and positioned it to catch some of the moonlight beaming down from the heavens. The elegeantly brushed characters were difficult to read, but Kaya had read them so many times she nearly had them memorized. She skipped over the lines dealing with her and began to recite to San,

"Look for the signal from the gate towers, the mark of the blood to be spilt. Lead your spirits out of their hiding places and descend on the vermin teeming over the hills. Slash them with your claws and bite them with your fangs, but do not enter into the trap laid for the weasels on the island of fire. When the weasels come to meet you, fight them with every last breath if you must, until the hawks and the badgers descend upon the open field."

Kaya looked over the page at San. "What does it mean?"

San's face was contorted into a mask nearly as fierce as the one she had just been wearing. The twin dagger-like tattoos on her cheeks twitched with the muscles in her jaw working themselves in a frenzy.

"Burn that devil woman, in the fires of her own forge," San spat in a low, dangerous voice. The round, moon-shaped earrings trembled against her neck. "She will kill us all with this. And be glad for it! I was stupid to think I could ever trust her!"

She stood up abruptly, taking her knife, and stalked off. Kaya followed suit, if less angrily. She had to watch her footing in the undergrowth, but she was afraid to lose sight of the woman penetrating the woods. "San, what's wrong? Tell me what it means! What is it that Lady Eboshi wants you to do?"

San rounded on her so quickly that Kaya nearly ran into her.

"That accursed spawn of a stoat would have me take all my forces with me into battle against Asano's army. Out in the open. That much I expected, but this…..! She made a noise of extreme frustration, fingers grasping the hilt of her knife tightly. "She wants me to lead all the gods and spirits of the forest, all those that will come with me, to battle. But we are to remain outside the human town until she sends reinforcements—the hawks and the badgers. She will just wait until we are all slaughtered before she comes out of hiding. That way she can take back her town and this forest! I won't let her, Kaya! I will not let her ruin everything I've worked so hard to preserve! And I will not just sit idly by and let her triumph in killing Asano. It will be my knife through his heart that takes his life, not hers! I have more right to it than she does!"

Kaya regarded her meekly, the impassioned princess who loved her forest so much that her heart ached for it. The desire for revenge burned in her eyes. It made Kaya feel cold inside.

"What did she mean by "the trap laid for the weasels on the island of fire?" she inquired.

San looked at her pointedly. "You don't know? The whole message is simple. A cub would understand it. The trap laid for the weasels. Eboshi has something in mind for them. The island of fire. That's the town, and the forge. Eboshi is going to spring a trap for Asano's men within the walls of Iron Town. And she doesn't want me anywhere near—"

San bent over double suddenly, clenching her abdomen and vomiting loudly. Kaya stepped back, startled, then went to where the other woman was now kneeling on the ground, panting raggedly.

"San! What's the matter?"

"I'm…..sick," San admitted. It was strange, hearing that from such a seemingly invincible woman. She pulled up tufts of grass and plants to wipe her mouth and nose then rose to her feet, swaying a bit.

"You're not in any condition to be waging a war," Kaya lectured her. "You shouldn't have gone out tonight, either. Losing all that blood's made you weak!"

"I'm fine!" San retorted, contradicting what she'd just said and what was plain to anyone with a brain. "I can do this."

Kaya chewed her lip nervously. San was ill. Eboshi had a trap planned. Kenshin would be sent on a secret mission. She wished she understood all of it.

"But I'll do it on my own. That devil woman isn't going to use me for her gun fodder. You can tell Eboshi that the deal is off."

"Please, San!" Kaya begged. "I know it looks bad, but I'm sure Lady Eboshi will honor the pact. She knows what she's doing. Please, just trust her!"

San's mouth twisted like she was tasting something acrid.

"Do you trust her?" she shot back with a hard gaze.

"Yes! Completely! And I know Ashitaka does too."

San appeared to be caught off guard. Her eyes widened at the mention of Kaya's brother's name. Kaya thought San must be missing him, too. Perhaps even more than she.

"I still think this is a very bad idea," San growled, if a bit more calmly. "It stinks worse than a ferret's den."

"Everything will be all right," Kaya responded, trying to assure herself as well as San. "In the end it will."

San said nothing. Kaya asked,

"Are you sure you can keep doing this? Can I get you any medicine, or food? Maybe a doctor could—"

"No," San snapped. "I can take care of myself." She shifted her stance then said, "You probably ought to go back soon. It's getting late, and there are enemies out in these woods." As if to further state that Kaya was wearing out her welcome, she retrieved the demon mask and wolf pelt from off Kaya's head. "But before you go, we must agree on a signal. For when Eboshi wants me and mine to attack the humans in the hills." She did not look too pleased with what she was saying. "Something red, like blood, is what Eboshi suggested."

"Um….." Kaya said, thinking. "The flags Asano has flying over the gates are red. Maybe a kimono." San might not be able to tell the difference from a distance, though. "No, I have a better idea. Look for red smoke."

"Red smoke?" San repeated skeptically.

"Yes! The lepers can make smoke bombs of different colors. I'll send up some red smoke, and when you see it, that will be the signal to attack."

San nodded. "Very well." I'll watch for it."

Kaya smiled broadly, glad that the wolf princess was still going to fight for their cause. She did worry about San's sickness, though, but the woman was too determined to back down.

"I'll go then. If Eboshi has any more messages, I'll meet you here."

"I'll come here every night then, at this time."

San folded her arms and nodded. Kaya, shivering a bit, turned and made her way back to the lake. She barely felt the pricks of twigs and barbs in her feet going down to the shore, and when she stepped back into the water, the pain was washed away by the cold. With a grimace she submerged again, and Kaya wondered if there was any better way to relay Eboshi's messages to Princess Mononoke. Taking another deep breath and pushing off the squishy bank for the rest of the long swim, Kaya mulled over the possibilities. It didn't take long to conclude that there was little that could be done. She was coming to that conclusion in almost everything nowadays.

On the other side, Kaya gratefully donned her kimono again, and one of the samurai robes and the hat for extra warmth and to disguise herself. Walking up the hill to where the edge of the camp was, Kaya found that few of the mercenaries were still up, and only glowing embers were left in the fire pits. She could still see occasional shapes moving in the darkness among the scattered tents, but there weren't any guards about that were visible. She could just slip back into Iron Town and no one could be wiser.

Covered in the samurai's red and white robe and conical hat, she walked nonchalantly to where she thought the mat to be. She had to backtrack a couple of times to find it in the darkness. When she finally did, though, she squatted down and began brushing away the dirt, but her hands froze when she heard a gruff voice directly behind her.

"Hey. What do you think you're doing? It's past curfew."

Kaya's mind frantically scrambled—what should she do? Think! Think!

"Uh…..I'm just taking care of a little business is all," she answered, lowering her voice to what she hoped sounded like a man's. Maybe a very young, girlish man.

"There are latrines for that. Get back to your tent. Now."

Kaya's brain was set buzzing again. If she was caught, or worse, if the tunnel was discovered, the consequences could be disastrous. Realizing that her stalling was only more rope around her neck, Kaya rubbed some of the dirt she had in her palm. Jolted by a sudden spark of inspiration, she seized as much dirt as she could in her hands and twisted around on the balls of her feet to fling it up into his face. She was so quick that he didn't have time to even raise his arms. Yanking away the mat, Kaya desperately threw herself in and began wriggling through to the other end. She heard the man yell with surprise. He might wake up the whole camp. Cursing herself for being so careless, she burst through into the smokehouse. Not even pausing to see if she was being pursued, she leapt for the door, banging her forehead on one of the meat poles in the process and nearly knocking herself unconscious.

Outside, she could hear a shouts coming from a group of men somewhere in the streets within Iron Town. Muffled voices were sounding in the hollowed out tree behind her. As nervous as a hare being chased by a fox, Kaya sprinted dazedly to a nearby goat pen and climbed over the low fence, cowering down behind the watering trough. Several short, hairy white goats were clustered around it, sleeping soundly. A couple bleated at her rude intrusion, but at finding she was not a dog or a mountain lion, did nothing more. Kaya could feel blood vessels pounding in her ears, and her heart was racing to keep up.

Peeking under the belly of a shaggy goat, she saw the samurai she'd attacked crash through the door of the smokehouse. He halted and looked around, drawing his sword. He was followed by a couple more mercenaries. They heard the men shouting in the town and began running towards the houses, perhaps thinking she was being pursued by the night patrol. Kaya didn't risk budging from the spot she was in until they were well gone.

Fully aware of the trouble she was in, Kaya rose on shaking legs and peered around. She doubted she had been recognized. But sooner or later word would get out that there was an escape route leading out of the town, and that violated the new law Asano had imposed. Asano's men might become suspicious of the impending insurrection. And if the resistance was discovered and rooted out, it would all be her fault.

Stifling a sob, Kaya dashed towards the town, hiding behind houses and woodpiles and taking back alleys as much as possible. The city was still except for the sounds of samurai in the streets. The voices multiplied even as she made her way back towards Toki's house. Once, she had come so close to running right into a bunch of them as she was about to cross an empty street that she had to slip into the nearest house to avoid being seen. Through the translucent paper screen, Kaya could see hulking silhouettes with long, curved appendages that resembled swords or rifles saunter past. Kaya crept back from the sliding door, fearful that they might begin searching houses. They'd done so before, if not in the middle of the night. She thought her heart must be pounding so violently that they could hear it, just a few paces away.

Tip-toeing through the house in the dark was a tricky matter, even if it was just a small one, not much more than a hut. Kaya used her foot to feel for anything she could trip over, and once she found a wall, inched her way around it. As her eyes adjusted, she was able to see a bit better. Supposing one sliding door to be an exit, she parted it. Light flooded her eyes, and she was dazzled briefly. She saw a lantern on the tatami mats, next to a futon. Kaya could see blankets and clothing littering the floor, and when her eyes fell on the people on the mattress, she couldn't help letting out a gasp. It wasn't so much the naked figures that shocked her, but the face she recognized on one of them, in the arms of the owner of the red and white robes on the floor. The woman's name escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

"Murasaki!" she uttered, wide-eyed.

The forge woman was no less astounded than she, staring back at her with dark eyes as wide as rice balls. Her lover was just now noticing Kaya's presence, and he turned his head to scowl at her. Kaya hurriedly slammed the door, cutting off the source of mellow light and hobbled ungainly through the rest of the house like a wounded deer. Another door—a bit sticky in its track—revealed the street—blessedly empty. Kaya could see a tavern across the street and a hat maker's hop next to it. Springing outside, she ran pell-mell without stopping until she reached the familiar door to Toki's home.

"Toki! Toki!" she shouted, hardly caring if she woke them up. She wanted them to wake up, and continued yelling the woman's name as she clambered up the stairs, so hysterical that she tripped over most of them. She burst through the trap door into the attic that housed Lady Eboshi. She was surprised to find it empty, though an extinguished candle on the writing desk was giving off a thread-like trail of smoke.

"My Lady?" Kaya called out.

"Kaya! What are you doing up here at this hour, and shouting like a madwoman?"

Kaya saw a shape move in front of a tiny window, blocking the moonlight for a second, then heard a spitting sound before a match to the candle's wick brought light again to the room.

Lady Eboshi, dressed in a light yukata, regarded her sternly from beside the desk. Kaya's eyes fell on the curved, polished hilt of a dagger sticking up out of her leaf-patterned obi. Had she been expecting an attack? Probably, what with Kaya's shouting like a banshee this late at night. Kaya felt a touch of chagrin, even if she was justified by the situation at hand.

"My Lady," Kaya said, bending over, "I gave your message to Princess Mononoke, but I was spotted and the tunnel in the smokehouse was discovered. I was pursued, but lost the samurai tailing me. There were others, though. I could hear them out in the streets, excited over something."

"I see," Eboshi answered briskly. "Kaya, go—"

Eboshi's words were overridden by a clamor downstairs, a loud banging and male voices outside. Through the open attic door Kaya had just come through, they could hear rushing footsteps; Toki and Koroku were still down there, probably seeing what all the ruckus was. Kaya saw Eboshi go completely still. Her blue eyes were fixed on the attic door, as though she were contemplating a plan. Then, unexpectedly, Lady Eboshi rushed over to where her mattress lay in the corner of the small room. Her fingernails clicked on the floorboards as she pried open a loose one and tossed it aside carelessly. Kaya could see a thick wad of folded paper inside. Maps of escape routes and other plans the resistance had in motion. Which reminded Kaya of her own duty.

"My Lady," she said, slightly pink now that she had a moment to realize what was happening, "I know what happened to Murasaki." Eboshi's hand dipped in and out of the whole in the attic floor as she fished for papers, but Kaya knew she was listening. "I saw her…..with one of Asano's mercenaries in a house in town. They were….." It was too awkward to say.

The woman actually froze. "So Murasaki has gone over to the enemy" was all she had to say.

Kaya bowed her head. "So it seems."

Eboshi began rifling through her papers again, faster than before. "That's good to hear, Kaya, thank you. I had misgivings about her even before she disappeared. Rumors were going around that she had eyes for one of Asano's thugs. Well, we'll deal with that later. We have more pressing matters on our hands at the moment. Come, quickly!" Kaya saw that the last item taken from the hiding space was a second dagger, similar to the one Eboshi had in her obi.

"Take this," Eboshi told her, even as she was stuffing papers into her obi, next to the weapon tucked snugly there. Then she was moving towards the hatch-like door that led down into the rest of the house. Eboshi nimbly descended the drop-down ladder, and Kaya followed close behind. The house was darkened, but both of them knew their way around. They were about to turn into the kitchen when they ran headlong into Toki. The forge woman, too, was armed, with a heavy bladed knife used for chopping vegetables.

"My Lady!" she cried urgently. 'It's the mercenaries—they're breaking in! I think they're on to you! We have to get you away now!"

Eboshi merely whipped her head in the direction of the back door.

"Where's Koroku?" Kaya wondered, even as Toki began herding them towards it.

As if in answer to her question, Koroku's bushy topknot bobbed into view as he lurched into the kitchen doorway. He had an old beaten staff in his hand—the kind used to herd farm stock. As soon as he laid eyes on them he said,

"Quick! Leave now! This is big trouble." The room behind him lit up suddenly as men stormed in, armed with torches and swords. Koroku turned and saw them but didn't budge.

"You're all under arrest for treason!" the foremost mercenary announced. He spotted Lady Eboshi in the background. "And we have orders to kill the woman Eboshi. We have you surrounded. If you resist, you'll be killed!"

"Koroku get over here!" Toki ordered from the doorway. Kaya and Eboshi had slipped outside, but neither was willing to leave Toki or her husband behind.

"I'll hold them off!" Koroku called back. You just get Lady Eboshi to safety! We've been discovered!"

Kaya watched an amazing transformation take place on Toki's face. The woman's eyes, so full of anxiety, softened, and her chin became more set. Her eyebrows furrowed dramatically, and Kaya caught some of the feeling of the deep love and trust they shared passing between them in that drawn out moment.

"You'd better come find me, you big oaf, or I'll hunt you down and hang you on the clothesline by your toenails!" she berated him.

Koroku grinned his big dopey grin at her then turned his back on them squarely. Kaya thought there must be a dozen samurai filling the room, with hardly enough space to draw sword. Koroku faced them all with his thick staff in hand. She felt rooted to the spot until someone—she thought Toki—actually seized her by the collar and dragged her along. They rounded the back of the house, peeking around the corner cautiously, but more samurai in front of it standing by blocked the way. Upon reversing their direction, the three women found themselves right in the path of one of the mercenaries. The face under the veil and cap was familiar. Those eyes widened at seeing them.

"Gonza!" Kaya nearly yelped in disbelief. What was he doing here? She noted his garb, and the curved sword he held out at the ready. Sounds of a fight could be heard from within the house. Kaya felt her arm grabbed.

"Come on," Eboshi commanded, breaking into a run. Kaya stumbled along in Toki's grip. They fled from Gonza, from the house, through Toki's little stone garden and down a shallow hill to the road that wound around the low lying hill Toki's house was situated on. Keeping low, they ran, bent over nearly in half, parallel to the short hedges that lined the road into the busier part of town. Eboshi turned in the direction of a small clump of bamboo that was away from the road. Kaya looked back almost the whole time, but there was no sign that they were being followed. How long would Koroku be able to hold them off, she pondered, until…..She was caught up with Toki now. A glance at the woman's tear-stained face revealed how she was feeling about her husband, but she made no sound save for heavy pants from running so hard.

"Over here," said Eboshi, in the lead, disappearing into the grove. It was one of many patches around the perimeter of Iron Town being cultivated for reconstruction of the town. Near the center of it was an old, unused well. It was in serious disrepair. The stonework was chipped all over, and the pulley rusted. A dented bucket lay on its side in the grass close by. Eboshi reached over the lip of the well for the rope that used to draw up water. Kaya stared dubiously. Did the she mean for them to go down there?

"You first, Kaya," Eboshi said. Kaya's gaze slid from the woman's face to the rope in the hand she was proffering. With more than just a touch of misgiving, Kaya took it and climbed up onto the stonework. Peering into the deep hole, she could see anything but blackness. Grasping on tightly, Kaya stepped off, dangling for a second. She began lowering herself down little by little into the well. When the opening above shrunk to the size of a teacup, she began to think maybe Eobshi and Toki would not be coming. She could hear their unintelligible voices outside.

Without warning, the rusted mechanism holding the rope in place broke with a heavy clank, and the rope slid freely over the round wheel. Kaya screamed as she plummeted down into the unseen bottom of the well. The fall was not long, however. Almost as soon as her scream started—echoing briefly off the mold-slick walls—she found herself writhing in water. She'd fallen, bottom-first, into it. The reason for the well's disuse occurred to her as she thrashed—her foot scraped the solid bottom. Kaya stopped struggling immediately and stood up. Water rose up to her breasts. She looked up at the barely visible circle of lighter darkness, wondering what was keeping the other two. A shiver ran through her muscles as she was suddenly reminded of an old story about a girl trapped in a well, abandoned by her parents and sealed in as if in a tomb. Kaya hoped that old story told to frighten children was just made up. After a couple of minutes, Kaya made out shadows blocking the circle high above and a steady creaking announced something coming down on the rope. Kaya pressed herself against the damp wall, and a mild splash in front of her dampened her face.

Stand back," came Eboshi's hushed voice, and a moment later, a third disturbance washed Kaya up to her neck.

The mass bobbing in the water identified herself with Toki's voice.

"Are you alright, my Lady? Kaya?"

"We're fine," Eboshi answered. Kaya's lip was quivering. She was very wet. And cold. And frightened. But she was alright.

She felt fingers lightly brush her face, searching for something. They moved on to graze the wall, and Eboshi said softly,

"Here it is. Kaya, I need you to move aside, please. Toki, I'll need your help."

Toki waded over to stand with Eboshi, and Kaya heard a sound like long unused metal hinges creaking, and a puff of stale air caressed her cheek.

"What is it?" she inquired, even as a woman's and sought hers and guided her to the space in the wall.

"An old escape plan," came Eboshi's response. "But not mine. Long ago, back when I first discovered Iron Town, I found some of the old tunnels and hideaways used by the previous inhabitants." She grunted and her voice sounded from a bit higher. "Here, take my hand. I'll help you up." Kaya did as she was instructed, and she felt herself hoisted into a small alcove. She sensed it went far back. Lady' Eboshi explained.

"I didn't build Iron Town from scratch. No. Much of what was here before the Great Forest Spirit—the Deer God—destroyed it was the effort of the hundreds of people who have come here over the past twenty years. But there were wrecked and abandoned huts and storehouses when I first came. I don't know who lived here before. The town—not much more than a village really—was completely desolate. Whether they all perished from disease or natural disaster, I can't say. Maybe they were wiped out in some ancient war. At any rate, they had built many of the tunnels around the island. Like moles. Quite an ingenious idea, I must say. That's how I first discovered the rich supply of iron beneath the earth. The groundwater under this particular well has almost all been spent. I had this tunnel dug shortly after I arrived with the first few settlers. I knew that someone like Asano would come around someday to try and dominate this place. I only hope we don't all end up like the Mole People.

Kaya was amazed. Lady Eboshi truly was a capable woman. In everything.

"Where does the tunnel lead?" she asked.

Eboshi said, "This is the longest tunnel beneath Iron Town. If it hasn't collapsed anywhere, we can you it to get as far as the mill. From there we can plan what to do next. Follow me."

Kaya couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, but she trailed her fingers along the dry earthen wall to guide her. She tried not to think of how much dirt was over her head—thoughts like that would make her start choking. Oh, how she hated these dark, close places! She had to stoop because the ceiling was only about four or so feet high, by her estimation. She had to be careful not to trip over the hem of her sodden kimono as well. Eboshi talked to them as they made their way forward.

"It would seem that Asano has discovered our little plot." She sounded almost amused. At Kaya's moan, she added, "No, I don't think you are to blame, Kaya. It was inevitable, just a matter of time. I would not be surprised if Murasaki let something slip, or if she outright betrayed us, or if Asano caught on to the supply train raids. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. We must act with what we have. Regrets and second guessing ourselves will only block our path."

"My Lady, what will we do next?" said Toki. Her voice wavered, like she was holding back the tears.

"At the moment, I'm not entirely sure." Eboshi replied, much to Kaya's dismay. "But I will think of something. I doubt this will change our plans much."

The confident, steel-strong tone of her voice was comforting and eased Kaya's fears greatly. Were it not for Eboshi, Kaya thought she'd probably be sitting on the ground, mewling like an infant. The woman gave her confidence in herself. None of them spoke for a while. Kaya's feet were beginning to hurt. She'd lost her shoes when she dropped into the well, and the lining of the tunnel was not without rocks and roots jutting up out of it.

Before long, though, Toki and Eboshi stopped.

"Here," Eboshi announced.

They began climbing upwards. Kaya felt out with her finger tips and rested them on an uneven protrusion sticking out of the earth. There were many it turned out, like a crude staircase, carved right into the lining of the tunnel. Some were brittle and mostly crumbled. Kaya waited at the bottom, and Eboshi jumped down a minute later.

"The exit is through the mill itself. Toki? Can you get that unplugged?"

"Working on it," Toki called down, a bit more cheerily. "Watch your heads!"

She pounded on the covering of the tunnel. Kaya thought it sound like a slab of wood.

"Man, I hope the tub isn't full, or this is going to be hard." A sliding, grinding sound accompanied her mumbling, and in just a few minutes, it was raining. Not water, but sweet-smelling sand. Dust billowed in the shower, making them all cough uncontrollably. It piled at Kaya's feet, and she dipped a hand in, bringing it to her mouth. Coarse flour, freshly ground.

"Okay, people, let's get out of here. If it pleases you, my Lady," said Toki, hacking occasionally.

"Sounds fine to me."

Toki scrambled up into the mill's basin and helped the other two out. Kaya peeked around, gratefully drinking in the sweet, fresh air. It was dark in the miller's barn, but not as oppressively black as down in the tunnel. The place was empty, and Kaya's nees nearly gave out from exhaustion. She wanted just to sit down and rest a bit.

A tiny spurt of flame blossomed on the end of one of Eboshi's clever, long-stemmed matches between Toki's fingers. Dipped in wax to protect it from getting wet, it offered them a little light, for which Kaya was glad.

"What next?" Toki inquired, taking a seat on the gigantic millstone, idly kicking the dregs left in the big tub the flour was separated into. Kaya noticed it was plugged with a wooden plate like a large dish, almost like a wine keg. The whole tub was made from wooden boards, so it wasn't too noticeable, but all the same, Kaya plugged it up again and scattered some flour around it so it wouldn't be uncovered by the wrong people.

"We wait," Eboshi said simply. "No one will come looking for us here. Not for a while, at least."

Kay wanted to ask if she had any ideas, but decided otherwise. She ought to leave her alone for now. Surely she was hatching up some scheme for getting back at Asano and needed to concentrate.

Maybe twenty minutes passed, and the squeaky noise of a door opening prompted Eboshi to blow out their little light. Kaya jumped up and strained to see in the direction of the shadows. Toki joined her at her side, no doubt wielding her knife.

"My Lady, get down!" she whispered quickly, but Eboshi called out into the darkness, undaunted,

"Scream of a hawk!"

"Hiss of a serpent!" came a man's voice back.

"Name yourself," Eboshi then ordered.

"Yasuhide no Gonza," a gruff, stern-sounding voice answered back.

"You!" Toki cried, rising from where she crouched in the tub. "How could you go over to Asano's side? We trusted you and you betrayed us!" She was almost shouting, and Kaya flinched. What if someone outside heard? The miller and his family didn't live in the barn, but they were only a couple of houses down.

"You were going to turn us in!" Toki accused him. "You betrayed Koroku! He's probably dead now, thanks to you! What are you going to do now? Betray Lady Eboshi? Hand her right over to Asano? If you so much as try to lay a finger on her, you despicable, yellow-bellied, son of a—"

"That will do, Toki," Eboshi interrupted smoothly. Another match was lit, one of Eboshi's. Kaya had not even seen her take them with her when they fled the house. She wondered what other surprises the woman had hidden in her wide obi? Eboshi stepped out of the basin and confronted Gonza. Kaya readied herself to flee again, and Toki seemed eager for a fight to avenge her husband.

"Report," Eboshi said sternly, surprising them both.

Gonza bowed at the waist, hands stuck to his sides. "Everything is in place, my Lady."

If it had been possible, Kaya thought her jaw would hit the floor. Toki was equally astounded.

"Wha-what? My Lady, you knew about this?" she cried.

"Yes," Lady Eboshi replied, looking over her shoulder at them. "I am sorry to have been keeping secrets, even from you, but it was necessary for your safety. Or so I believed. I arranged for this some time ago, outside the knowledge of the Council. This plan was to be implemented in the final stages, though I did not plan on your home being attacked, or for Koroku to sacrifice himself for us so bravely. I accept full responsibility for it and will answer to whatever consequences you see fit to lay down after this war is over. You see, Gonza had been infiltrating the enemy so our resistance could gather information about their activities.

Gonza had yanked the red cap and veil off his head and fiddled with it in his hands, looking more like he'd rather throw it to the ground and stomp on it. He gave the impression of withering under Toki's fierce stare.

"Truly, Toki, I didn't mean for it to happen this way, and I am sorry," Gonza told her. "We heard reports that Lady Eboshi's hideout had been discovered—I don't know who offered the tip, honest!—and there was no time to warn you or try to divert them. All I could do was go along with it and try, if possible, to get the Lady Eboshi out safely. I didn't know what was going to happen."

Koroku, my husband, he…..he got out alright, didn't he?"

Kaya could hear the fury in her dying down to be replaced with a weak but growing hope. "You saw him escape, didn't you?"

Gonza silence was all the response he offered, single-handedly dashing away any hopes Toki might have harbored for a reunion with her husband, the ox-driver. A strangled sob escaped her throat, but Eboshi laid her hand on the woman's shoulder, saying,

"There will be time for tears later, Toki. But right now I need you. We must mourn Koroku's sacrifice another day, after we have our home back. And once we do, we will build a shrine for his spirit larger than any in the Western lands."

Toki shook violently from head to toe, her gaze nailed to the floor. Kaya didn't know what to say to her. Words of any kind would have been rather pathetic consolation. Heeding Lady Eboshi, Toki reigned herself in, though. It took a visible effort, but she did, and the tears abated gradually. She was crying on the inside, though it did not show through her now stone-hard features. Kaya could tell.

"What's going on outside?" Eboshi interrogated Gonza.

"Soldiers are going throughout the city. Over half of the Council has been arrested, and some of them were executed for resisting." He recited the names." Kaya was glad that Yohko and Emi were not among those caught or killed—they were key players in this little game--but she heaved a sigh of relief when Kenshin's name didn't come up at all. Surely he would have resisted. "The whole Town Patrol had been roused. I wouldn't be surprised if Asano has been notified."

"I hope he has," Eboshi said, causing Kaya and Toki both to gape at her. "What else?"

"Most of our provisions are in place, and weaponry, too, but I don't know how much longer they'll stay a secret."

"Then we must attack sooner than expected," Eboshi stated. "Gonza, I want you to take this to the samurai Kenshin." She reached into her obi for a small slip of paper folded into a square. She handed it over to him, and he took it and bowed obediently. Kaya itched to get her hands on that note—just what was it Lady Eboshi wanted her Kenshin to do?—though most likely it was written in that strange, garbled code for secrecy, like the passwords Eboshi and Gonza had exchanged earlier. Had Gonza hesitated, or said something different from the correct phrase, Eboshi would have hurled her knife at him, and anything else she could get a hand on.

"But before you do that, get those accursed samurai out of the streets, or elsewhere. We can be seen out in the open. Or at all, for that matter."

"It will be as you say, my Lady."

"Toki, Kaya, I have a very important task for you."

"Yes?" they both said in unison.

"Get the word passed along to as many of our people as you can. 'The time is at hand. We attack at dawn.' I trust you've relied all of the instruction to everyone?"

"We have," Toki answered grimly.

It had been discussed over and over again at the Council meetings that waging war in daylight would be to their disadvantage. All of their strategies thus far had been devised to operate at night, from the shadows, in guerrilla warfare style.

"Kaya," she added, "I trust you and Princess Mononoke are keeping in touch?"

"Yes, my Lady. She'll wait for the signal then attack just as you said."

"Excellent. Then she will attack with the first light, too. We'll confuse Asano's men with attacks from both outside and within. I just hope we'll be able to last through till the end."

'Yes,' Kaya thought. 'I hope we will.'

It was time to put hope to the test.

Time was up.


	23. Announcement from Yuriko

Ohayou, minna-chama. Just wanted to let anyone who cares know that, contrary to popular belief, I am not dead, though I kind of feel like I am. Besides losing the folder containing my notes for the rest of the Mononoke-hime Continuation story AND what I had written of the latest chapter, I've been really sick besides. I hope to have the next, re-written chapter up in a week or two, depending on how bad school hits me. No, I haven't discontinued the story, and I don't plan to. I'm almost done with it, actually, so I'll see it through to the end. Thank you for your support and reviews, everyone. Have a terrific new year!

Yuriko


	24. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 23

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Chapter Twenty-three

Eboshi stared hard at the roof of the great forge—the center of Iron Town—from her hiding place in a nearby stable's hayloft. Soon after Gonza had gone to see what he could do about the patrolling mercenaries roaming the streets, the sentry woman Emi had dropped in on them at the mill. Her faithful henchman must have had the chance to pass the word along to her, because she brought a fresh change of garments for her and Kaya and Toki as well as secretly led them to a safe hideaway. Safer, anyway. Eboshi was pleased to finally be out of her sopping wet kimono. Most of the papers carrying the plans for the resistance had been damaged in their flight from Toki's home. Eboshi supposed it hardly mattered. She'd known even as she devised them that plans might change. And now they had to.

She eyed the jagged horizon in the east with impatience. It was not even dawn yet, but she was wide-awake. She doubted she could have slept on the prickly bed of hay in the dark loft anyhow. She turned her head and glanced at the little nests that Kaya and Toki had dug for themselves, to sleep for an hour or two before they were called to action again. Now both of them were out in the city, lying low, until the time came to initiate the battle.

With a sinking feeling, Eboshi's attention returned to the forge. It's dark figure stood out against the bluish-gray sky, a sentinel in the night. Its never ceasing bellows were still pushing smoke in steady streams to the sky. Everything would begin there. For the hundredth time that night Eboshi calculated the likely results their actions would have, counting the losses, trying to figure out every advantage their frail resistance had. The first seemed more numerous than the latter. But they were in a tight spot already. Eboshi would rather not have begun the battle this early. They had the necessary provisions now, and her commanders had their orders to carry out, but they were not ready yet. They could not wage battle within Iron Town too soon, or else the mercenaries stationed in the hills outside would pour in, flocking to Asano's aid before the wolf princess could distract them with her minions. But they must attack anyway. Their resistance had been discovered. Whether or not Murasaki was to blame, or if their raid on the supply train to Kawashimo had given them away, she couldn't say. There were too many factors to take into account. At any rate, it was no longer important. She had to do what she had to do.

Squads of the town patrol—the police force made up of Asano's hired thugs—crossed by her window as they marched down the street from time to time. They were more organized than before. Their white veils and red caps hid all but their eyes. Every now and then, one of them would look up at the stable loft's window, nearly sighting her. Eboshi fingered the dagger in her obi. If any came looking for her, she would fight them. And if she died, she would die with honor. She would not be alone for long, though. Once dawn came, heralding the battle, she would be fighting right along with the people she wanted to protect.

"Have you got it?" asked Toki in a hushed whisper, moving closer to Kaya as they sidled up to one of the massive walls of the forge. She darted scared looks up and down the alleyway, eyes constantly on the lookout for trouble. It had been difficult enough slipping past the guards in the streets when their backs were turned. Kaya replaced the lid on the tunnel she'd just crawled out of—the passageway leading to the underground room where the lepers were working. While Toki kept surveillance, Kaya sprinkled dust and dirt over the entrance to disguise it. She showed Toki the small leather sack tied with cord she'd obtained from Aoi, one of the lepers.

"Right here," she said.

"Good. Let's do this, then."

Tying the pouch to her sash, Kaya straightened and looked up at the height of the strong brick wall. There was a window—more of a chute, really—about twenty-five or thirty feet up. And right under it was the massive coal bin used to store the fuel to feed the forge's never-ending hunger. Right now the bin was nearly empty; Asano had used up almost all of it trying to increase production in the wake of the loss of his supply train. That was of little importance to her, though. The bin was made of thick, sturdy logs nailed together in interlocking fashion with large iron spikes. A child could climb up it.

"You'd better go up first," Toki suggested, looking at the back of the storehouse behind the forge as if she'd heard a suspicious noise. "This is your job, after all."

Kaya nodded in agreement then set her sights on the task ahead. It was easier to climb up the side of the bin in the plain, sturdy trousers worn by farmers in the field. Her kimono would have been too much of a nuisance. She was dry now at least. And somewhat warm, though the autumn air was fresh and crisp. She was too anxious to pay much attention to the temperature. She had a mission to accomplish. Lady Eboshi was counting on her. She began scrambling up.

Her fingers just reached the lip of the bin when Toki called up softly,

"Kaya, another round of the patrol is coming. I've got to go for a few minutes. Good luck up there!"

Kaya watched her dart away into an adjoining alley then focused once more on her objective—the four-foot-wide window where workers hauled up huge buckets of coal on ropes from the bin to put into wheelbarrows and dump into the forge fire. The rope hanging off the pulley was out of reach; Kaya had already had one bad experience with ropes and pulleys last night. It seemed ironic that she now faced another. She gripped the edge of the bin with her bare feet tightly, balancing against the building precariously with palms flat and nothing to hold onto. She only had to make it a few steps without falling in or being caught. Just a few steps…..

Yes! She grabbed onto the ropes triumphantly, letting them hold her weight. It was an easy thing now to haul her weight through the window, onto the platform just inside. She risked a peek outside and saw a group of about ten armed men, some with rifles, others with swords, filing into the alley. At least she was having a bit more luck now.

On a normal day, only the skeleton crew would be present in the forge—enough people to keep the fires burning. But under Asano's regime, the ladies on the bellows and the cart haulers and the stokers worked around the clock in grueling shifts. In the center of the forge, like a great monument, was the massive kiln and bucket-shaped hearth full of red-hot iron swirling and sloshing against the sides. Unbroken streams of molten iron poured out of spouts at the bottom into the long bar shape molds, spread and leveled off by women with hoe-like tools then hoisted on chains and dipped into the slack tubs to cool. The steam given off and the boiling metal made the entire forge unbearably hot. Sweat was already being squeezed out of every pore on Kaya's body.

Of late Asano seemed to be directing much of production towards weaponry. Those long bars of iron would be beaten in the smithies into swords, axes, spears, daggers, and the like. Whether the world was becoming a better market for such miserable things or whether the warlord intended to use them himself, Kaya was afraid to guess. Putting the shoes tied around her neck back on her feet, she peered around. She saw people pushing carts of oar and coal up and down the woodworks, minding their own business and doing their best not to make eye contact with the foremen who stood around lazily, barking out commands or criticism from time to time. Making sure the little pouch was securely tucked under her sash, Kaya walked along the ramp, trying to find the best way to complete her mission.

"Hey, you there!" yelled one of the overseers, a man with a thick mustache and bushy eyebrows. He was wringing an inventory scroll in his hands as though wishing it was a whip. "Quit slacking off and get back to work!" He pointed at some unused carts by the man-operated conveyor belt bringing in ore to be tossed into the hearth. Kaya jumped at the order and hurried off. When the cart was filled, she hauled it in the direction of the others, towards the platform suspended over the mouth of the monstrous forge. The thing was quite heavy. Kaya supposed the forge women all had bigger muscles from doing such hard labor, but it was all she could do to keep the cart moving.

As she approached the platform, she saw the perfect opportunity. Throwing all of her weight behind the cart, she pushed it towards the edge of the wide platform. Watching the woman before her, she learned that she needed to press a lever by the cart's wheels to get it to tip. Pulling the pouch out of her clothes, she placed it in among the pieces of ore. When it was her turn next in line…..

"It's stuck," Kaya complained, bashing the release lever on her cart fiercely with her foot.

The woman turning her cart around to head back for more ore looked at Kaya quizzically. Probably she didn't recognize her as a forge worker. Was she one of them or not, Kaya wondered? Her heart began to beat a little bit faster. The woman pushed a different lever on her own cart—the brake, Kaya realized, and attended Kaya.

"Here," she said, bringing her own foot down and making the lever release with a grating metallic sound. She tipped the contents of the cart with ease. The ore—and the pouch with it—tumbled down to splash into the hearth where it was immediately lost to sight. Kaya paused for a moment, waiting. Nothing was happening. Had the lepers given her the wrong powder?

"You're keeping up the line," shouted the lady behind her over the roar of the flames and bubbling iron. Kaya looked back and saw three or four women with their own loads waiting. She jumped and used all of her strength to bring the cart around. It wasn't so hard to push now that it had been relieved of the weight of the ore. Kaya kept glancing over her shoulder. Why did nothing happen? Where was the smoke?

Suddenly there was a loud popping sound, and to Kaya's delight, a curl of red color was ascending to the ceiling, escaping through the open space in the roof. A handful of the working women snapped out of their reveries and noticed it, pointing and gasping in awe. Kaya hurried to return her cart. It was time to leave the way she came. The battle was beginning.

Straddling a thick oak branch and occupying herself with sharpening her already keen stone spearhead, San glanced up as she had thousands of times over the past day, waiting for the sign of the blood to be spilt coming from the human town. Instead of going back to her work, though, her gaze held. There it was. A thin stream of red smoke the color of blood emanating from the roof of the giant forge. The town was relatively quiet in the gathering light, but then the stillness was rent as the sound of an explosion blossomed along with a rising pillar of smoke from behind the walls of the monstrous fortress. Then came the soft popping of guns being fired in the distance. Eboshi's people were beginning their side of the battle. San wondered idly if the humans had any idea what was coming. Before the sun reached its zenith, they would be howling in pain and horror. She leapt down with alacrity to the ground, absorbing the shock of impact into her deerskin-dressed feet. It was time to prepare for battle. Time to rally the spirits of the forest to war.

She whistled through her teeth—the harsh cry of a magpie—and within moments the bushes and undergrowth were disturbed by flying paws as her wolf brothers—all that was left of her tribe—loped to meet her. One of them brought her battle armor in its teeth—a headdress of white fox fur with black, pointed ears. She'd made the red clay mask herself. It bore quite a resemblance to a wolf's muzzle, the way it protruded forward, and curving up into a sharp point with space left for her eyes. Her head would be more protected this way. Already fitted snugly around her arms and legs was thick deer hide, slashed in places to allow her joints free movement. Taking an idea from Ashitaka's stories, she'd fashioned plates of the hard red clay to protect her heart and lungs and bowels, lashed together with animal sinew. For decoration's sake she'd painted the mask and breastplate with charcoal dye and blood and tied a few long eagle feathers into her hair. If she was to fight this battle, she would do it with the spirits and strength of all the forest peoples she sought to protect. She donned her headdress. Her silver earrings like full moons tinkled as she straightened it and fluffed out the fur.

"It's time," she declared, taking up the spear and dagger she'd left buried point-first in the soil at the base of the old oak. She mounted one of the wolves' backs and they set off at a quick run, slipping through the forest down the familiar hunting trails as the green scenery blurred by. Presently they reached the river. Its rushing and churning blocked out the sounds of the war coming from the human town. The wolves charged upstream, kicking up the soft, sandy soil as they went. They were heading for the cliff, their home. They passed some of the animals—monkeys and ferrets and badgers who had come out of their holes and dens to begin the daily routine. They paused and looked at San and her brothers curiously as they raced by. Entering the wolves' territory, the jagged, protruding cliff was in sight. Her brothers' bodies stretched out like silver arrows as they passed over the ground, almost like they were flying. There was a simple beauty to it, and San relished the feel of flying with them.

The ground rose suddenly into a steep slope littered with white rocks and boulders that had broken away from the cliff over eons. The wolves leapt nimbly from rock to rock, almost as if they were playing a game, and their claws dug into the earth as they propelled themselves up the slope. They came to the mouth of the cave, and the wolf San was riding leapt onto the stone slab at the very top. Without pausing to catch his breath, he threw his head back and let out a bone-chilling howl that echoed over the forest, startling birds out of the trees. Her other wolf brother took up the call, and the haunting melody rang out from the cliff top, intertwining with low and high pitches and lasting for several seconds. When the last note died on the air, the two gods turned their necks and fixed San with amber-eyed stares, panting in anticipation. She hesitated for just a moment, looking off to the east as she had for so many days now.

"He will come back," her brother growled comfortingly. "But if you die, die in a manner that will honor him."

San nodded briskly, clenching the spear in her hand tightly and scratching the wolf's furry neck with the other.

"Let's ride!" she commanded, and they took off in a flash.

The explosion in the town had been loud enough to rouse Asano from his deep slumber. His head was already pounding with a hangover that had been the result of a night of drinking bad wine. His pleasurable company, a raven-haired local beauty with excellent curvature, was startled awake as well and reflexively pulled the sheet close to her. Asano's mind worked sluggishly to try to dispel the daggers stabbing at his temples, and he pushed himself out of bed, rubbing his face with his hands and groaning. He felt around in the dimness for his silk robe and, throwing it over himself sloppily, shuffled over to the side of the room to pull the curtains back over the window that overlooked his possession. Smoke was rising in a steady deathly plume towards the graying sky, right over one of the mercenary barracks. He massaged his eyelids and took in a second glimpse then flung the curtain back over the scene.

It was only a matter of minutes before a loud banging resounded on his chamber door. Asano barked at the intruder to enter while he was dousing his face and neck with cold water to try to rid himself of the bad wine. The young man was the same who had brought him word of the failed supply train to Kawashimo, and he hesitantly took a few steps into the room. He gawked at the woman in bed—the woman who would remain there until Asano gave her permission to dress and leave—then wrenched his gaze away to pin it on Asano. He went down on hands and knees bowing humbly, announcing in a wavering voice.

"My lord, there's been an explosion." Well of course there was. Did the boy think Asano deaf and blind?

"There's an insurrection among the townspeople. They attacked one of the barracks and

are firing rifles at the town patrols."

"Are the patrols returning fire?" Asano demanded furiously.

"Yes, lord, but we have taken heavy casualties. Many of our men were in the barracks. The townspeople dropped explosives down the chimneys and then fled. Others stationed in alleys and in shops poured into the streets and began shooting."

So they had planned this. Asano knew he shouldn't have dealt with these ruffians and tavern wenches so lightly. Eboshi had to be behind it. She was pulling the strings of her puppet townspeople from the shadows, inciting them to rebellion against the rightful ruler of Iron Town.

"What of the report brought to me last night? Have Eboshi and her co-conspirators been captured yet?"

His messenger flinched.

"No, my lord."

"Then get out there and hunt her down and kill her! And anyone else you see raise a gun or blade against you. And take my orders to Azuma. Tell him to begin sending support troops into the city. Make sure no man or woman is able to leave the town walls, though. I'm going to crush this futile resistance once and for all."

"Um…..my Lord Asano," the messenger said warily, "it appears too late for that. Sentries reported a man escaping in the middle of the night on horseback. He slipped out during the change in shifts. And we've discovered tunnels crisscrossing practically the entire town underground, many of which lead outside."

Asano chewed on his lip, disturbed by this news. Just like before—a man escaping. Likely it was just a coward from among his own ranks afraid to see battle. But how could he have known about it before it happened? Was he just another complainer griping about the pay and working conditions? There had been no small number of those lately. He abandoned his distracted thoughts and stared at the young man bowing before him.

"While you're on your way to see Azuma, tell my captains to have their men kill any peasant who appears to be an enemy. I don't care if it's a man, woman, or child." He could just have every townsperson within the walls massacred, but that would leave him with few hands to run the mills and the mines. Mercenaries may or may not be enticed even with money to pick up that sort of labor. Still, he would quell the spread of this disease of insubordination before it became a plague. And he could always look elsewhere for slaves, if need be. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move it!" he barked at the messenger. The young man scrambled to his feet and fled from Asano's presence. Asano exhaled in irritation then eyed his pretty. She had watched the exchange with wide, frightened eyes. Was she one of these ragtag rebels? His glance transferred to a mostly empty bottle of wine on the table near the washbasin. He would have to be careful. His household was more than likely infiltrated with Eboshi's spies. He wasn't dead yet, but all it would take was one poisoned cup, one knife in the back, and he would be finished. He glared at the townswoman suspiciously.

"You're under arrest until further notice," he told the woman whose name he didn't even know. He straightened his robe and marched towards the door, picking up his sword belt and helmet where they were left in the corner. The woman watched him like a rabbit in the sights of a bobcat until he closed the chamber door on her and locked it securely.

Azuma had been awake since before daybreak. Such was his custom. He remained in his white canvas tent, meditating on a woven straw mat with his long, curved blade—his father's sword—straddling his knees. He had been focusing on making himself one with the pre-dawn stillness, one with the orange flames guttering in braziers around him. Until the sound of the explosion ripped away his concentration and brought him back forcefully to the present. Without thinking he laid his sword bare, the tip pointing towards the door, ready for an attack. Half a second later, he was striding outside to see what had caused the commotion.

He was not the only man up and about, curious as to why smoke was rising from within the fortress. Others under his command were stumbling out of their tents or rising from cook fires, eyes turned towards the source of the noise. Moments later, a chain of gunfire erupted unseen like thunder behind the high, sturdy walls. A battle.

He marched over to a gaggle of younger men who were gawking at the dark smoke rising over the timbers. Seizing one of them by the collar and throwing him aside, he barked loudly,

"Don't just stand there gawking, you dull-witted louts! Get your armor on! Prepare the horses, and wait on my command!" Once satisfied with the scurrying of men diving inside their tents to fetch their weapons and armor, women putting out cook fires and running with their baskets to stay out of the way of them men, and the sight of horses being let off the picket lines and mounted by professional soldiers who were trained to be ready for moments like these—some who were more prepared than others anyway—he marched away from the melee, crossing the crest of the hill his ranks were encamped on, until he could catch a glimpse of the main gates of Iron Town. They were still closed to the outside world; no doubt confusion would reign within the fortress until those pampered fools in the city could get their heads straight. Azuma and his reinforcements would be no good locked out. Still, he intended to have the entire mountainside armed and ready at the gates for the moment they would be allowed in to crush whatever rebellion was taking place. He may only be a sword in Asano's hand, but he would fall wherever his commander directed. If he lost his life, it was of little matter to him. He no longer had anything left to live for but his allegiance, and if he died in Asano's service, that would be sufficient for him.

He was returning to his tent to fetch his own armor when a low, mournful sound echoed softly through the air. A wolf's howl. He turned to look at the thick green of the forest in the distance, ringing the lake. The crooning call was taken up by another, and they sang in eerie harmony with each other. Something about that melancholy melody made him shudder. A foolish thing for a seasoned warrior and a general of thousands of men to think about, but all the same, he felt unsettled. With one last look at the gates, he made for his tent to arm himself for the upcoming battle.

The entire camp was alive with motion and yelling—and even some boastful laughing from warriors tired of the weeks of sitting around in the elements on their backsides with little to do but stare at the scenery and wash their clothes—and Azuma felt a little of their spirit invigorate his own as he strapped on his breastplate and armguards and cloak. Each piece had belonged to his father, who lost his life in a war between two aristocratic clans when Azuma was a young man hardly old enough to swing a sword properly. He believed his father's spirit could inhabit his old armor in battle and guide him to victory, and though he had needed his aid many times in the past, he was sure he would be able to quell an upstart peasant rebellion as easily as knocking over an anthill.

The rippling waves of gunshots continued to sound from the town, along with the cries and shouts of men carried on the breeze. Azuma's camp's elevation wasn't high enough to see into the city, so he could only guess how the battle was faring. His men were mobilized and ready to march to Asano's aid in just twenty minutes. Their slothfulness was enough to make Azuma sigh, shaking his head at the lack of discipline running rampant—literally—through the camp. He was constantly reminded that these men under his command were not all the trained, well-tuned armies he was accustomed to commanding. Ruffians, unemployed samurai, unfortunate merchants, farmers, and craftsmen who had fallen on hard times and cast their lot in with Asano in hopes of making money or at the very least imposing their will on weaker creatures, throwing their weight around like lords whenever higher-ranked soldiers were not nearby.

A pair of mercenaries in armor were mounted on horseback, carrying the red and white sigils that had struck terror into many armies that had stood in their path before. Azuma looked at the rippling banners and spat. They were useless here. Better to pick up swords and be ready to charge. With a few barked orders, he had more or less orderly columns marching down the side of the hill towards the land bridge leading to the main gates. The sun was finally beginning to peek up over the mountains, shedding bright rays of light down into the valley. At the head of his troops, Azuma tromped over the dew-wet grass and patches of mud to the base of the hill. The short land bridge was not far; he'd position his forces with their noses pressed right to the gates, awaiting the moment when they would swing open to let them in, but a thread of common sense told him to hang back just a little, in case the battle was not faring well for Asano. Azuma had serious doubts that would be the case, but all the same, a few rifle-armed villagers in the sentry towers could do a bit of damage to anyone loitering down below. For now they would have to wait. He hated waiting, but he knew it to be a key component of war, and sometimes those with the most patience could gain the upper hand.

"General," said a broad-faced man with scruffy facial hair behind him. Azuma knew him to be a former wheelwright who had lost his home and village in a clan battle and joined Asano for no better reason than that he had no where else to go. Azuma thought his name was Asunawa, or Asakawa, or something to that effect. The man was nudging him from behind, breaking his concentration. Azuma regarded him with mild consternation. "Look, over at the hills. Something strange is happening."

Azuma had half a mind to dismiss the man's request as folly, but he realized that a good number of the soldiers clustered around him were also gazing off at the hills and talking in low, wondering tones. Azuma turned his eyes towards the forested hills and the long field that curved with the shore of the lake. In the blurry distance, a wave of gray color was approaching slowly. The yellowish green grass of the plain seemed to be wilting as they watched.

"What do you make of it, sir?" the mercenary who had disturbed him asked. "It looks like the work of evil, if you ask me," he said, offering his own opinion. Azuma wasn't a believer in old wives' tales or witchcraft. He might have said it was just the effect of the wind on the field, only there wasn't a breeze stirring in the entire valley.

"Just the shadows of the clouds," Azuma replied, looking to the sky. He modified his voice to sound unconcerned, but he kept one eye on the approaching wave of gray at all times. Something peculiar was afoot, and he had the feeling he would not like it at all. The captains under him herded the mass of armored men down the slope and onto the bridge, stopping right before the thick, tall gates. There was hardly room to move, they were packed so tightly in. Tension-filled minutes passed, and the great gate remained closed. Azuma and his men were stranded on the bridge outside Iron Town, and all the while gunshots and sounds of steel on steel rang out from within the city, as did the angry or pain-filled shouts in the wake of the thunderous commotion. And the wave of gray—now just a wide stripe traveling steadily down the grassy slope of the mountain—encroached on the field ringing the lakeshore. Asano's eyesight was a bit dimmer with age, but he though he saw more movement behind the side-winding band. Too far away to make out exactly what, but something was definitely coming in their direction. Azuma had a hunch.

"Yoshinori, Aoyoshi, Jun, Yasunaga," he said, calling the four captains at the head of their columns on the bridge. "Assemble your lines on the bank."

"General?" the long-faced man in the blue helmet, Aoyoshi, questioned. He had an open view of the mountains opposite them, and he, too, had been watching the woods suspiciously. The others merely stared at Azuma, dumbfounded.

"You heard me," Azuma snapped. "Get your men down there. We're about to be ambushed." Though he spoke as though discussing the weather over a game of go, his underlings quickly jumped to follow his directions. They weren't captains for nothing. They were all sound-witted men, but better yet, they knew to obey Azuma's every command.

"Fire rank, about face and march!"

"Earth rank, about face and march!"

"Water rank! About face and march!"

"Air rank! About face and march!"

Like 4 long caterpillars, the troops wheeled around and marched back down the bridge in turn, filing down the steep slope and setting up straight lines by the shore of the lake where the land evened out. Azuma and his captains brought up the rear. He wished for a moment that he had his horse—maybe from a higher vantage point he could get a clearer view of what was approaching. But the other two captains of his army had all the horses in reserve with the cavalry, further behind them up the mountain. They must be wondering what crazy thoughts were passing through their leader's mind, seeing the mercenaries and soldiers spreading out away from the bridge. Azuma, too, wondered.

The sun was climbing higher in the sky, and only occasional clouds shaded the slopes. The air was cool, but under the thick, heavy armor, Azuma felt a sweat working up. He shifted his weight on the boulder he perched on, peering into the distance with narrow eyes.

"General!" Yasunaga, captain of Water said, interrupting the stillness of soldiers lying in wait. He had a short, leather-bound telescope in his hand and was looking into it. His mouth was open wide enough to swallow a carp whole.

"Can you see it?" Azuma inquired immediately. "Are they in range?"

"Yes, General, but….." Yasunaga lowered the telescope and handed it over to him, looking dumbstruck. "You've got to see this for yourself."

Azuma took it from him and lifted it to his better eye. The band of gray leapt at him as though only paces away. The ground was covered with moving gray spots. With….

"Mice?" His own voice, too, sounded surprised. "What is this, some kind of mass migration?"

"Look beyond them, sir," Yasunaga prompted. "There's more." Azuma complied. Further in the background were larger shapes lumbering towards them, but still animalistic.

"This isn't any work of Nature," Azuma growled through his teeth, yanking the telescope away from his face and shoving it back into his captain's hands. "It's that little wolf brat. She's behind this." Azuma could sympathize with Asano's annoyance. The girl—he had been shocked to realize she was not much more than that—had made quite a mess of things at the mills and around the mine. Her animals attacked mercenaries and his soldiers at will, moving in organized groups that even Azuma could recognize as planned. He was not much a follower of the natural cult. To him a tree was just a tree, and a rock a rock. A rat was a rat no matter which way you looked at it. They did not possess spirits, they were not intelligent, and they most certainly were not organized! At least, that was what he had believed before marching west with Asano. The only spirits at work in this forsaken wilderness were devils. Those Azuma had faith in.

"They do seem to be coming right at us," Jun commented from the base of the boulder. "What are our orders, General?"

Azuma still had not forgotten his own orders from Asano. Dispose of the wolf girl, this "Princess Mononoke," even if every rat, bird, and beast had to be slaughtered.

"Prepare to attack!" Azuma barked at them, feeling for the hilt of his own sword. The four men looked at him with mirrored expressions of astonishment.

"Attack…..the mice?" Aoyoshi wondered, switching his gaze from Azuma to the field and back.

"That's what I said. Prepare the fire guns. Flame them, shoot them, stomp on them, I don't care. But wipe them out. Kill anything that moves that isn't human. But if you do see one, wearing a demon mask and wolf pelt, shoot that thing on sight."

"Yes, sir," his captains all murmured, searching each other's faces for explanation or encouragement. They ran out to take command of their ranks. From the massive boulder in the background, Azuma unsheathed his sword and thrust it towards the sky, shouting in a bold, deep voice,

"Ranks, advance!"

Author's Note: Again, I'm so sorry it's been a while. I lost all my notes and what I had already written, so I had to start from scratch again. Plus school and work and illness in general have taken their toll on me. I'll do my best to post more regularly, now. There's not far left to go now, till the end. Thanks for being so patient everyone and for being (hopefully) understanding! Heheh, and by the way, I got my husband to see Princess Mononoke for the first time this past week. He's not an anime fan to begin with, but it totally grossed him out. Ah well. Guess I'm just desensitized.


	25. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 24

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Chapter Twenty-four

From her vantage point on the edge of the woods, San could see the entire field—a crescent of yellowing grass rimming the shore, walled in by hills and mountains on three sides. Her army had broken cover on her command, leaving the shelter of the trees. On the other side of the river-wide column was a large white wolf, poised and ready for the call to charge. He surveyed the animals running down the steep slope with an expression of impatience bordering on envy. The citizens of the forest poured out of the trees in a teeming horde, rallied together by the wolf's call. Squeaking, growling, and grunting, they raced for the human camp as fast as they were able, despite San's cautioning them. The Mice were the most eager to fight the humans—gods and dumb creatures alike. They rushed out in such great numbers that they resembled a gray human rug floating over the land. Weasels and badgers fell into place next, and foxes and bobcats tailed them. Small hawks and falcons flew out over the rest, setting aside their differences with the smaller creatures in order to accomplish a greater goal. San was proud to see her people so unified to destroy the human infiltrators. A portion of her heart, though, was pained that not all of the animals of the forest had the will to fight. The Apes and the Deer were too afraid to risk involvement, though both tribes would have aided their cause greatly. The Eagles were indifferent. And the Boars would not arrive for days yet, though their warrior spirit was still strong. This was all she had. She hated trusting the humans as allies, but even more she hated admitting that she needed them.

"The gunwoman had better live up to her side of the agreement," said her brother in a deep, rumbling growl. "Or I will take her other arm, and legs as well."

"And not leave anything for me?" San asked jokingly. It was hard to tell if he had been serious. Her fingers toyed with the tip of her spear, testing its sharpness. She, too, was eager to rush out into the fray and thrust the point of her blade into the hearts of the humans. But they had to wait. This battle would take strategy, and with as few creatures as she had, every advantage had to be taken. Her brother seemed just as impatient, digging his nails into the dirt and shaking his shaggy head from time to time. San kept her eyes on the battlefield, waiting and wishing. And worrying. Would she ever see Ashitaka again? Would she live to see the rising of another sun? By habit now she quelled the wave of nausea that threatened to make her spew up her breakfast of raw fish and roots. These sick spells were not coming so frequently now, nor lasting as long. San had found an herb by the riverbank that helped with the nausea, and she kept a small supply to chew on her belt.

"Look, a bird is returning," her brother pointed out, panting. Indeed, swooping low over the battlefield towards the edge of the forest was a small black and white falcon. It flared its wings to kill its speed, landing on a tree bough just over San's head.

"My lady," she informed her, "The Mice and Rats have made contact with the humans."

"Already?" San said, astounded. They must have run very fast to have crossed the field and made it into the hills by now. She strained her weak human eyes to see the front lines, but it was futile. Her sight was not as keen as the Falcon's. She could just imagine the humans jumping and dancing trying to shake thousands of crawling, scratching, biting mice out of their armor. The mice had accompanied her on the attacks on the mills and the mine, but never this many at once. The humans might very well surrender after just the first wave.

"Good," San said. "Keep watching for me."

"I'll do my best."

"It's our turn," San said, patting her brother's milk-white neck. She pulled the demonic mask over her face and held up her spear high. Scare tactics were just as important in battle as the actual fighting. Today the humans would see the princess of beasts, ghouls, and ancient gods descend upon them like lightning out of the sky, coming to drag their souls down into Hell.

"Good luck, my lady," the Falcon god told her, dropping off the branch and flapping away briskly to circle the skies.

The wolf loped down the rocky hill at an easy pace. As soon as they started, her other brother left his position on the other side of the column, and he, too, glided gracefully down the hill. He kept his distance, however, as planned. San wanted the beasts with the most strength to fall upon the humans from as many directions as possible. In such a confined area, surrounded by steep hills or water on all sides, the battle would be close. And hot.

She turned her head and saw through her mask the tendrils of smoke rising from Iron Town. Several small ones. Likely Eboshi had her hands full with Asano within the city. San was glad to be fighting out in the open. With walls and so many buildings in the way, carrying on a battle inside Iron Town would be madness. Over the wolf's paws pounding the ground, the faint popping of guns and booms of cannons was audible. Wicked things those devices were. San much rather preferred the intimacy of her spear, or her knife. She wanted her enemy to look her in the eye as he breathed his last breath, not die at a distance.

The humans were more than just insect-sized dots in the distance now. As her brother picked up speed, passing by some of the smaller, less agile creatures, they became more discernible. San's breath caught in her throat as she took in how many were. They covered the slopes of the hills like teeming maggots on a carcass, wielding swords and spears and bows. As she expected, many were running around as if insane, screaming and batting at their armored arms and legs. Others stomped on the ground furiously. The mice had done their work well, and they still darted all over the field looking for new victims to attack. Every so often a hawk or a falcon would dive from the sky, talons latching onto faces of human warriors, their cruel beaks ruining their eyes. Bobcats and the few bears that had joined her ranks were using jaws and claws to disfigure and maim. Everyone was doing what they could. However, San was disheartened to see that their tactics were not having as much effect as she had hoped. Some humans had fallen to the earth, but their seemed far many more animals beside them, bleeding or still. San gripped her spear tighter, raising it high for all to see. She would fight to avenge the fallen and to avenge her forest. She would die for the glory of her mother and the Great Forest Spirit!

Her wolf brother slammed into a group of humans who had formed a circle around a fox, prodding and tormenting the snarling beast with the points of their swords. They went down hard, yelling and groaning as the weight of the huge wolf crushed them. The fox darted away with a limp in one of his back legs. San jumped off her brother's back, swinging her spear wide to catch a human in the throat. Blood sprayed from the wound, and he collapsed to his knees, grasping his neck in vain. The spear tip hardly wasted a moment, flowing gracefully to catch another mercenary in the side, knocking him over. Her wolf brother wasted no time sinking his jaws into the enemy. Men screamed in pain and terror when the big white wolf sought them out as the next target, breaking or biting off limbs and faces and ripping out throats. His furry body received nicks and scratches from the mercenaries' weapons, but they may as well have been tickling him with a feather. With all the power of a boulder tumbling down the mountainside, the wolf ran across the field, dodging the pitiful arrows being shot at him and leaving dead and dying men in his wake. San, too, had to dodge the arrows being loosed in her direction. She wasn't a true god, so it would only take one to snuff out her life. While she had been beating back the blows of one samurai's sword, a bolt grazed the hard clay of her mask, imbedding itself in the man she'd been struggling with. He fell backwards with a short yell. Not lingering for an instant, she moved on, wielding the long-bladed spear like a sword, beating back the blades of her foes. With a deft twist, she thrust the butt of it into the ribs of a mercenary coming in from the side.

A sudden blow to her face almost knocked her to her knees. Through the gap in her mask, she saw a man raising his sword to strike again. Like a viper coiled and ready to strike, San plunged her own blade into the man's stomach, piercing his heavy leather armor. Before she could yank it out, two more mercenaries rushed at her, angry-faced and shouting, sword tips pointed at her. San whipped out her long knife and beat off the attacks of the first man, using the haft of her spear to defend herself against the other. When the spear was finally worked free of the corpse, San swung both in her hands, advancing towards her opponents like a whirlwind. One of them fell back into the other, and they tumbled the ground in a heap of clanking armor and weapons. Before she could deliver the killing blows, however, a horde of mice and rats appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, swarming all over them, biting and squeaking. San left the two to them and sought more battles elsewhere.

All over the field animals were squealing and roaring. Men, too, shrieked and screamed as they attacked and were attacked. Bodies of beasts and mercenaries littered the ground. Directly in front of her, a man with a sword chopped a falcon swooping towards his face clean in two. San leapt over human corpses on the way to find her next target. She caught sight of her two wolf brothers wreaking havoc among a bunch of warriors who were scattering in all directions in confusion. San grinned, spotting a lone man retreating over the field. She raced to catch up with him as he scrambled up a low mound. Her spear sliced the back of his legs, and he yowled in pain as he collapsed, hamstrung. San panted heavily from exertion and the weight of her armor and leaned against her spear to catch her breath. As she turned her eyes to see beyond the hillock, she felt the air escape her lungs in a rush. Marching in even rows down the slopes were horse-mounted reinforcements. Hundreds of them. They were coming to join in the fray and would arrive quickly. A burning curse left her tongue as San tore her eyes away from them, retreating back down the hill. She was met by a stout mercenary who was racing for her, spear in hand. San crouched low, holding her own weapon at the ready. When he was in range, she thrust the point at his face, but he deflected it. San snarled and exchanged more blows with him. Even though she held the higher ground, the mercenary was succeeding in forcing her retreat. Ducking low to avoid the sharp blade of her spear, he swept her feet out from under her with the haft of his. San had to roll away quickly to keep from being impaled. Once she righted herself, the mercenary continued his onslaught of attacks. Before long she was standing atop the hillock, locked in deadly combat with this rather persistent human. She tried to exploit every opening in his defenses, but he was too fast, knocking away her spear as if it was a stick.

Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath her with a chain of thunderous noise, and she fell, tumbling down the mound. Her spear had been yanked from her hand, flying end over end until it came to rest point first in the earth nearby. Shocked, San stared at it, then at the bloody mess that had landed at her feet. What remained of the mercenary. Eyeing the broken hillock stupefied, San climbed to her feet and staggered over to her spear, disoriented. She pulled it out of the dirt and wiped the blade on the hem of her skirt. She noticed a round iron ball caked in dirt rolling down the hillock. So the cavalry had guns in their possession. Looking from the dead mercenary to the battle, San saw a large white wolf—looking a bit discolored now from blood and dirt—running towards her.

"San, are you alright?" he asked in a deep growl.

"I'm fine so far." She noted the arrow fletching sticking out of his hindquarter and immediately moved to pull it out. The wolf voiced its displeasure in a low rumble. He'd been injured, but he was far from finished. She scanned the battlefield for the other wolf and saw him in the distance contending with a group of human soldiers alongside a bear and a bobcat. "We need to regroup," San said. Would Eboshi's help ever come? If it did, it would be too late. "There are more humans on horses coming right for us. Some of the them have guns." And who knew what else? San was just lucky they missed.

"Get on," her brother told her. She hauled herself up onto his shaggy back, and he took off for the thick of the battle, a bit slower for the wound in his back leg. He zig-zagged through the melee, snarling and biting at anything on two legs while San hacked away at all opposition from his back. When they reached a patch clear of battle, they turned around and her brother threw his head back, howling in a high, loud pitch. Before the strain died on the air, arrows hissed through the air, many falling just short of the wolf's paws. San unsheathed her knife and in the same movement knocked one away that would have taken an eye. The battlefield teeming with humans and animals stirred like a pool disturbed by a rock as those armed with fur pulled away, abandoning their fights, rallying to the wolf princess. San's heart fell at seeing how many had fallen—mice and foxes and weasels and badgers—all who had given their life in defense of their home.

"San, look," said her brother, shifting his weight uneasily. San followed his gaze to the base of the hills. The mounted warriors were pouring over the crest of the low hills like a wave. Before them were the remaining warriors, enlivened by the animals' retreat. San's grip on her spear felt weak as she uttered,

"We can't win, can we? There are too many of them."

"Better to die now than live in whatever miserable world they wish to bring about," her brother said sagely. He lifted a paw as rodents began streaming around them. San raised her mask to take in the sight of the army coming for them. There was still no sign of aid from Iron Town. If Eboshi was still alive—if she survived this—San would spend the rest of eternity haunting her.

"Yes. Better to die." She pulled the mask back over her face and grasped the wolf's thick fur tightly. She squeezed his sides with her heels, and he took off at a run. The beasts of the forest followed in their wake, squeaking, chirping and growling their enthusiasm to defeat the humans. The wolf outpaced them all, darting like an arrow towards the human army.

"Straight through! Break their lines!" San shouted. If their forces were concentrated enough, they could at least do some heavy damage. Her minions in the rear were packed close together, some rubbing shoulder to shoulder as they followed the wolf and their princess.

The other white wolf fell in at her side, baring his teeth and snarling.

"San, we must attack them with everything we've got!"

"Save your strength!" San shouted to him over the pounding of so many animal paws on the hard ground. "It has to last!"

"I see their leader!" her brother objected, pulling ahead of them. "He's mine!" He picked up speed, breaking away from the main body of their force and running out towards the humans, straight for one on horseback who took up the lead.

"Wait!" San cried! "Fall back!" Her commands went unheeded, however. This brother had always been particularly hot-headed. He was as bad as the humans sometimes, she thought. The fury of battle seemed to make him lose his mind until all he could see was blood. Their two armies were quickly closing in the gap between them, with him in the middle. The grizzled wolf charged ahead, outpacing them all with long, ground-eating strides. San continued shouting at him, but it was useless. The human cavalry was outrunning the land-bound mercenaries, coming into the foreground. All of them wore thick painted armor. Their horses, too—tall, barrel-chested beasts—were armored. The horses' hooves beat the ground like gunfire, and they screamed and yelled along with their human riders. Fanning out into a line, the mercenaries readied their weapons—spears, bows, and rifles. Some of them bore long pikes with Asano's colors rippling violently in the wind. San looked towards the center of the line. A tall man in dark armor led the rest like a swallow at the head of a migration. Atop a black, muscular horse, he pointed his long, curved sword towards the sky, his face concealed behind a dual-horned helmet.

"San, we have to pull away. They'll trample us," her brother growled.

"No! We fight until the end!" she yelled back. Just as soon as the words were out of her mouth, a chain of explosions sounded from the enemy line, and puffs of black smoke burst out of the rifles. Her brother wolf who had so recklessly dashed forward tripped over his own paws and tumbled end over end on the short yellow grass. San's throat constricted, and she could scarcely get any sound out. The wolf she rode yelped as though he had been the one hit. They ran out at full speed to meet the enemy, and all San could do was watch as a group of the humans overtook her brother, filling his body with bullets and with arrows, stabbing at him with spears from their horses. The wolf was not down yet, however. He lashed out with his teeth, catching some of the mercenaries' horses in his bone-breaking jaws, pulling men down into reach. San lost sight of him as he was surrounded by the warriors, but his unseen yelps and growls as he was set upon by them made her freeze.

"We've got to help him!" she cried, kicking her brother's flanks urgently. He increased his speed a little, leaving the other forest animals behind. As they neared the approaching warriors, San readied her spear, letting it hang a little, poised to strike or defend in the blink of an eye.

The enemy was only a river's width away, then a stream's, and then before San knew it, her brother and she smashed into a mounted warrior's horse, and there was a terrible clanging of steel on stone that made the spear in San's hands vibrate painfully. The horse was knocked down, though, all that armor and muscle little match for the intensity of the wolf god's attack. San's spear finished its rider quickly, and they were off again. The wolf cut through the line easily, avoiding arrows and gunshots as he nimbly danced through the pack of horses. Once clear, he wheeled around and sprang back into the melee. San beat back her opponents' blades, twirling the spear deftly to make use of both ends. The rest of the animals caught up and commenced biting and clawing their enemies with renewed zeal. San fought as hard as they, snarling all the time. An arrow meant for her missed her head by inches, taking out a weasel that had latched on to a human's throat, and killed it. Its wretched squeal lasted only a moment then was swallowed up in the clamor of the battle. San thanked her luck and the unfortunate weasel and wasted no time punishing the humans with the edge of her blade. Swinging with all her might, she knocked an armored warrior off his horse, and he was immediately attacked by a ferocious badger and a horde of rats traveling in a pack to do more damage. The horse, already panicked, galloped off at a dead run.

For the most part, San allowed her brother to choose their battles. As they made their way towards where she'd lost sight of the other wolf, she saw a streak of white appear and disappear again between the fighting humans. With a grin born of hope, San shouted her war cry and raised her spear high.

A sudden explosion made her ears pop, deafening her, and her vision turned red. Lancing pain like fire filled her with agony from her scalp to her toes, and she was barely aware that she was falling. She felt, more than heard, a wolf's enraged bark, and by the time she hit something solid—everything had turned black.

She raised her head weakly, and for a moment thought she was dead. The battle had ceased everywhere around her, and the world had gone silent. Her surroundings gradually lightened, until they were brighter than noonday. She was lying on her belly in the crescent-shaped field next to the lake. The searing pain had disappeared like vapor, and she felt as fresh and new as at early morning.

"What…..what happened?" she wondered, perplexed. She labored to get to her feet. Looking around, she realized that her spear was nowhere in sight. Her dagger was gone, too. She patted her side to check, and it was so.

"San," said a stern but gentle voice behind her. She spun around, startled, and found herself in the presence of an enormous white she-wolf, two or three times the size of her brothers, lying leisurely on the short yellow grass.

"Mother!" San cried with surprise and joy. It was indeed Moro, the wolf god who had raised her up from a cub. Unbidden, tears began filling her eyes and pouring down her face. She rushed forward to bury herself in her mother's thick white fur—it gleamed brightly in the sunlight—but the wolf god's warning growl made San halt in her tracks.

"You mustn't touch me," Moro told her in that familiar voice that pained San's heart to hear it. "I am not of your world any longer. I have passed on into the realm of spirits."

"But—!" San exclaimed. It didn't make any sense! What was her mother doing here? And what had happened to the battle?

"It is not yet time for you to join me," she told San in a firm but loving growl. Her amber eyes looked up, and San turned to see another white wolf, a smaller one, approaching them. His fur was like moonlight on a clear autumn night, clean and pure and white. San's legs gave out under her and she emitted a hoarse, cub-like cry before she collapsed. The small wolf joined their mother and fixed San with a piercing golden-eyed stare. "Go back now. Your battle is not yet won, my daughter."

The empty field and the wolves vanished in a heartbeat, and San opened her eyes. Her head throbbed intensely, though not as bad as the rest of her. She became aware of the battle still being waged around her. Moving was difficult and painful, she discovered. She felt at her breast to find that her shield of hard domen clay was no longer there; she cast her eyes aside and saw the shards of it littering the grass. She pushed back the heavy headdress, letting it fall carelessly to the ground. As her eyes focused, she saw her brother close by, lashing out at any human daring enough to get into range. His lips were pulled back, baring sharp white fangs that, together with his wrinkled muzzle, made him look very ferocious indeed. He snapped at spears and swords that attempted to stick him, sometimes finding an opening wide enough to bite a human's leg off, or a hand, armor or no armor. When some of the mercenaries tried to attack San, helpless where she lay, he would turn on them like lightning, driving them back. San managed to get onto all fours unsteadily, and felt for her spear, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"San, are you alright?" came her brother's gruff question. He was distracted, trying to hold off the humans long enough for her to regain her feet. She noticed that he had several bleeding gashes marring his beautiful figure, and he seemed to be tiring.

San felt at her side for her knife. It was still there. In a flash she whipped it out, slicing at a warrior who was foolish enough to come near. He was wearing little armor, and she buried the blade into his ribcage. Before he hit the ground she was on another, using her weapon to convey all the rage and hatred and sorrow she felt to her enemy. Three more men went down in like manner, and before San could seek out a fourth, her brother was at her side.

"Get on," he ordered her, and she did not argue. He took off at a run, dodging this way and that to try to find a clear path to escape the thick of the battle. San fought to stay on, all the while blocking mercenaries' blows with her knife. One managed to slice her arm with a short sword, but before she could return the gesture, the wolf broke free of the fighting. They were on the far side of the field now, where the land began to slope up into the foothills. The mercenary camps were not far off. There was still smoke rising from Iron Town, and gunfire echoed from both the town and the field. It was madness.

The wolf slowed to a trot, panting wearily as he climbed atop a large lichen-splotched boulder jutting up out of the ground.

"We can't stay here," San protested. "We have to go back and fight."

"I know," the wolf said in a deep rumble. "Brother is—"

"Dead," San said. She tried not to let her emotion show in her voice, but a tiny crack marred it despite her efforts. She told the white wolf about seeing Moro and their brother, in that strange, surreal place where there was no battle, only stillness. "I thought I saw him on the field," she said, "but it was Mother. She came to meet him."

"You were shot by a human gun," her brother informed her. "I thought you had passed on as well."

"No, the humans won't get rid of me that easily," she said, even managing a small smile. But now, without her armor, one more bullet would be the end of her. She looked out at the field where the battle was raging hotly on both sides. It seemed though that there were many more humans than animals standing. 'Ashitaka, where are you?' she wondered in her heart. "We have to go down now," she said to the wolf. "And this time, we won't retreat."

Her brother exchanged a long, meaningful glance with her and even wagged his tail once or twice.

"Agreed," he said gruffly. She climbed onto his back once more, and they were about to start off for the battle when a falcon gliding over the field swooped towards them. It blew past San's head like a bullet, shrieking before returning to the sky,

"My Lady! Look above!"

San and her brother threw back their heads, gazing into the glaring sun, and San wanted to laugh with delight. A cluster of silhouettes was flying in from the direction of the forest, too large to be falcons or jays.

"It's the Eagle Clan!" she shouted joyfully! "They've come to fight with us after all!" Heeling her brother, they leapt down from the boulder, tearing across the field to rejoin the fray. San looked to the brilliant blue sky as long as she could. The Eagles were flying in a close knot, but they broke apart at the moment they passed over the field. With wingspans easily two or three times San's own height, they folded their outstretched pinions, diving in on the scene below. Their leader, a yellowish brown bird, gave a shrill whistle as it dropped from the sky. Its companions, about a dozen or so, followed suit. They fanned out over the field, snagging hapless mercenaries like they were catching fish out of the river. Some snatched horse and rider in one claw hold, hauling them high into the air and then releasing them to fall to their deaths. Once the humans realized what was happening, they shouted in even louder, angrier voices. Several simply ran, abandoning weapons and loosening armor to flee faster. One whose legs moved too slowly found himself suddenly crushed under the weight of a gigantic black-and-white-feathered bird. Its sharp hooked beak plucked off his head in short order, and it beat its powerful wings to return to the sky in search of another victim. One Eagle god that had been passing low overhead suddenly convulsed as a rifle's thunder pierced the cacophony. Dark blood sprayed from the bullet wound in its breast like rain. It plummeted to the earth headfirst; San saw its neck snap from the impact and prayed the forest god had died quickly. The weight of its body cleared a wide swathe as it rolled over the humans, smothering them. Many of the mercenaries seemed enlivened by this victory and began aiming their bows and rifles towards the sky. San and her brother leapt on a pair of riflemen who were tracking the flight path of a gold-colored Eagle with the tips of their guns. San plunged her knife through her human's leather-covered chest, and her wolf brother's fangs caught the other's midsection.

Pulling her knife free, San slashed this way and that. Everywhere there was an enemy. They were hopelessly outnumbered. No matter how many humans went down, there were still so many hundreds more. None of the animals seemed to realize this; they fought just as viciously as ever, and San wished she could be as oblivious as they. Still, she was consigned to death. She just wished she could see him one last time…..

A samurai with a curved, blood-stained sword singled her out and began hacking away at her. Her stone knife was barely enough to keep him from adding her blood to his blade. He was much more powerful than she. Every blow that connected nearly knocked her to the ground. She waited for an opening—the samurai's cocky grin grew wider and wider as he saw just how puny she was—then as soon as his sword came down on her knife yet again, San yielded to him, quickly stepping aside and spinning around to stab him in the back of the neck where his helmet met his armor. He collapsed like a fallen tree, still with his sword in his grip.

San had long since lost sight of her brother. She was not tall, even though she was human, and many of the men surrounding her, attacking her, dying at her hand, were much taller than she. She stood on the corpse of one mercenary to try and see over the field—she felt hopelessly adrift in a sea of violence and death—but to no avail. Had her brother joined the rest of her tribe in the other world? She had to jump back to avoid a human swinging a spear at her. He put too much force into the motion—when his arms were carried too far into the movement, she buried her knife into his unarmored side. She pried the spear out of his hands, which were uncovered save a thick silver ring on his forefinger. Sheathing the knife for the time being, she flailed at every human within the spear's reach, shouting curses at them and yelling like a banshee.

After breaking through a cluster of mercenaries and leaving them with severed limbs and heavily bleeding gashes, San glanced up at the sky to see three or four Eagles swooping down repeatedly to pick up rocks and small boulders in their talons. Flapping their great wings, they rose into the air again. Amidst the storm of flying arrows and bullets they dropped their artillery on the human targets below. The other Eagles stooped into dives from high in the sky, translating their motion into speed as they swept low over the ground, wings outstretched and talons bare, bowling over horses and mercenaries like the wind driving leaves over the field. But more than one faltered in mid-air, collapsing to the ground in a heap, smothering whatever humans and animals caught beneath. Their large size made them easy targets, and though they were gods and wouldn't die easily, die they did.

San slashed and hacked away at her enemies, blocking and ducking in equal turn. They were constantly before her eyes, teeming over the field like maggots on a carcass. Her throat was raw from screaming, her heart drumming painfully behind her ribs. Each burning breath was one more second she was alive, and her mind no longer focused on winning the battle. Now she fought merely to survive.

She paused for a moment after driving half the length of her borrowed spear through the abdomen of a lightly armed warrior in Asano's colors. The air was so thick with the musky odor of blood that she couldn't smell anything else. The hiss of a sword slicing the air was all the warning she had to leap away as a samurai's blade grazed the material of her short skirt, biting the earth instead of her flesh, and she was caught up into the dance once again. Her blade was practically useless, though, against the man's thick armor—red and blue scales like a dragon's. He protected his joints, neck, and head skillfully, depriving her of any opportunity to make a killing strike.

"Is this all you've got?" he called out mockingly. "I could take you apart with my bare hands!"

San parried a diagonal slash and stepped back, weighing the situation. This human had to be of high rank among his fellows. Those who stood out as leaders were all heavily armed, while the lowly mercenaries wore whatever they could scrounge, it seemed. Still, for all the leather and woven bamboo covering his hide, this human appeared overly confident. She had to find a weakness. She rushed at him again, beating at him furiously with her knife and hissing and yelling like a demon on a rampage. The samurai continued taunting her, grinning all the while, but he let out a noise of surprise when San dropped to the ground suddenly, sweeping out his legs from under him. He toppled backward and fell like an old tree being cut down. Before he even hit the dirt, though, San was on him, thrusting her knife into his unprotected armpit with all the force she could muster. The man screamed in agony and convulsed, and San rolled away with her weapon as he tried to lash out at her with his sword in his death throes. She did not even pause to watch him die, but moved on to try her luck again.

She had not even taken a single step when a lancing pain shot through her leg, and she collapsed as clumsily as the samurai she'd just killed. She crashed to the ground, grasping at her thigh. Through tearing eyes, she saw a long wooden shaft sticking through the flesh. It burned like fire. She looked beyond the dead samurai to see the bowman—a plain-faced, unarmored man in red and white—looking at her with astonishment. The expression turned to one of enthusiasm as he selected another barb from his quiver, reloading the bow. San tried to scoot away, but every movement was accompanied with fiery pain. She clenched her knife, wondering if she might throw it and kill him before he stuck her again like a fish on a sharpened stick.

He approached slowly, warily. He knocked the next arrow and took aim. It released with a hiss, and San only narrowly batted it away with her knife. The mercenary, disappointed, drew another shaft and pulled it back on the string to his ear.

"Wait," said a burly voice behind San. She craned her neck to see a tall man in armor standing just a few feet behind her. He was one of Asano's, without a doubt, wielding a long curved sword that was bloodied all the way to the hilt, "Leave this one to me."

"General Azuma!" the mercenary with the bow uttered with wide eyes. He immediately began backing away. "Yes, sir!"

"Well, well, if it isn't Princess Mononoke. A pleasure to finally meet you face to face, your Highness."

San twisted around to glare at him. He stepped forward and pointed the tip of his sword at her nose. "You've caused me quite a lot of grief these past few weeks."

San spat in his direction in response.

"I've got something that might interest you," he said slowly, reaching his hand behind his back. While San scrambled to get to her feet—she wasn't going to die sitting on her backside, that was for sure!—he pulled out a red and white strip of something and tossed it at her feet. San stared at it suspiciously, but her suspicion turned into horror as she realized that it wasn't cloth, but fur. A severed wolf's tail as long as her arm. "Oh, and this." The man called Azuma pulled out another similar object and dropped it expressionlessly onto the shriveled grass. Another wolf's tail, the blood on it a little fresher. "I thought it rude to come before the princess of the forest without bringing tribute." His face was like stone, but his voice was colder than ice.

Her mouth hung open in shock, and her voice cracked as she said hoarsely,

"You will pay for this! I'll make sure you die slowly, then scatter your innards from one end of this valley to the other!"

"You can barely stand," he replied. "I can kill you in one stroke if I wish. Those are my orders. I was hoping to be the one to carry them out. It looks as though fate is siding with me today." He surprised her by sheathing his sword into the scabbard on his hip. "But now that I see how pitiful you are, the idea loses its appeal. What honor is there in killing a wounded little child with nothing more than a crude knife?"

"Face me in battle!" San challenged him angrily. "I'll show you just how pitiful I am!"

She braced her quivering legs and latched onto the arrow shaft piercing her thigh. She gritted her teeth and grunted as her hands snapped off the feathered end. Then she felt for the barbed tip on the other side, feeling how slick with blood her skin was, and pulled it the rest of the way through the flesh. She couldn't help crying out, it hurt so much. Her whole leg felt weak. She could barely stand on it. She wouldn't give up, though. If she died, she would become a demon, and rip this man standing before her limb from limb!

"You have a little spunk. I'll give you that much. This is hardly a decent fight, though." He whipped out a second blade, a replica of his long sword only much shorter, not much longer than her knife. "Are you prepared to die, Princess Mononoke?"

"Yes!" she snarled, charging at him.

She slashed at him furiously despite the limp in her left leg, teeth bared. Their blades clinked like chimes as they met. Azuma hardly appeared to be trying. His arm moved fluidly, countering her attacks as if swatting lazily at a fly. He was as strong as an ox, too. When he brushed off her blows, he nearly sent her tumbling backwards. The man was iron. San could not even get close enough to touch him, let alone exploit his weaknesses. Gods above, did the man have any weaknesses! She sliced at him futilely and was caught off guard when Azuma blocked her knife with his and with his other hand grabbed her around the neck. She felt her toes leave the ground as he lifted her into the air like a dead ferret. Her puny hands couldn't pry his vice-like fingers from around her neck. She beat at him with her knife, but the blows only rained on the armor covering his forearm. Why he wasn't gutting her then and there she could not understand.

"You really are nothing more than a wild animal," he said in a low, flat tone. "But there is more honor in taking down a stag or a woodpigeon than in snuffing out the life of a rabid little wolf girl."

San felt her face tingling. It felt thick and heavy, like it was caked with mud. She didn't know when she dropped her knife. Her fingernails dug into the man's gloves, scrabbling at them desperately. Then Azuma tossed her to the ground, and she fell painfully on her injured leg. San felt at her neck, raggedly gulping down breaths of air as her chest heaved to refill itself. Her vision was tilted and kept going double. She saw her knife, but before she could stretch out her hand for it, Azuma's heavy boot pinned it to the grass. San didn't think she would be able to sweep this man's legs out from under him. He was as solid as a pine.

"Believe me, I take no pleasure or honor from doing this," he remarked quietly, just loud enough to be heard over the fray. San was only vaguely aware of the battle raging around them on the field. She could see animals and humans grappling in combat in her peripheral vision, but before her was only the man Azuma. She was both lame and defenseless now. She couldn't prevent him from grabbing her by her hair, forcing her to prostrate herself on the ground before him. His other boot pressing down on her back felt like the weight of a boulder. Blood and saliva dripped from her mouth onto the grass as she winced at the sound of a blade being unsheathed.

"But orders are orders."

FWAPP!

San's head snapped violently, hitting the ground, and a crushing weight seemed to close in on her from all sides, but then she felt a cool rush of air pass over her body and the feeling of being weightless. She opened her eyes and saw the ground and the battle growing more distant. The man she'd been fighting was sprawled on his back, sword reflecting the sunlight as it flew through the air. San's whole body jerked when she realized that her body was in the talons of one of the Eagles. She twisted her neck and recognized the downy white underbelly and brown head of Roju, the Eagle she'd entreated for aid some time ago. He had her tightly in his grasp, but all the same, San flailed with shock at being carried high into the air.

"Child of Moro," Roju addressed her, "I see you are still alive."

"Barely!" San shouted to be heard over the rush of air. The Eagle was beating his powerful wings and rising higher and higher over the battlefield. San's heart leapt into her throat. What if he was shot down! They'd both fall to their deaths! Though she supposed it was only thanks to him that she was still alive at all. "You have to take me back down!" she implored. "I can still fight!"

Roju took them higher with every push of his wings. "The battle is not going well for us," he informed her. "The gods and beasts of the forest are losing ground against the humans. It is as I told you before. You cannot win!"

"I still want to fight!" San screamed at him. "I have to lead them!"

Roju was leveling out now and skimming over the lake. San could see smoke still rising over the human town. It looked as though some of the buildings within the high, sturdy walls had caught fire and were burning out of control. Thunderous gunshots were audible over the wind. It looked as though Roju was taking her in the direction of the town. But why?

"Take me back, Roju!" she begged him. "I am grateful to you for saving my life, but my place is with my kind!"

"Your kind is human kind, Child of Moro," Roju countered. "Human kind must help us. Alone we will all die." They approached the wall of the town, the side opposite of the slopes Asano's men had camped on. Roju flared his wings, coming to a rest atop the wall. His enormous talons dug into the sharpened logs, and he held San in his other leg, close to his downy feathers. San recognized this part of the town. Ashitaka's house was down below. She could see the bark-thatched roof and the paddock for Yakkuru. The noise of battle was coming from deeper within the town, as were the smoke and the flames. This quarter seemed quieter. As empty as the house below. The only movement came from goats that seemed to have escaped their pen and were now roaming about freely, eating whatever they could get their teeth into. San supposed the townspeople had more to worry about than loose goats.

"Find help, Child of Moro," Roju told her. "I must rejoin my brothers." He began opening his claws with her dangling over Ashitaka's house.

"No, wait!" she cried, but the words were swallowed up in a yell as she plummeted down towards the roof of Ashitaka's house. The pressed-bark roof broke her fall—if not very gently—and she tumbled the rest of the thirty or so foot drop to the ground. Her feet absorbed most of the shock, though the impact made left leg buckle, and she fell backwards.

"Unngh," she grumbled. She looked up to see the great brown-and-white Eagle god rise off the wall, flapping back in the direction of the battle. She didn't have time to thank him. Not that she would have. She deeply resented Roju dropping her, literally, inside the human's fortress of a town. How was she supposed to get back to the battle? With her leg as it was, it would be nearly impossible. And it seemed rather unlikely at this point that help was going to come to her people.

"When I find that viper of a woman," San swore, climbing laboriously onto her feet. "I'll cut her open like a fish." She'd been a fool to ally herself with Eboshi. No doubt that woman was only using her as gun fodder while she played her own little war game in the town. She managed to limp to Ashitaka's front door. Maybe she'd be able to find something to take care of her leg in here. She pushed it open finding the interior dark and abandoned. She wondered whether or not he would ever return to it. Would she ever see him again?

She moved about the house in search of something she could bandage her bleeding wounds with and some water. She was deathly thirsty. How much time had passed since she led the attack on the mercenaries outside Iron Town? She thought the sun was just a little past its zenith outside. She felt like she'd been fighting for a whole day, if not longer.

"Why ask for help here?" she asked the empty house as she rooting around for something she might use as a bandage. She found a closet containing a futon and blankets. She began tearing the blankets into strips and winding them tightly around her thigh, clenching her teeth as she did. "Eboshi has betrayed us." With a loud tearing noise, she tore another strip out of the blanket. The clean cloth was soaked in Ashitaka's scent. The overwhelming pain she felt in her chest from missing him seemed to diminish the throbbing in her leg for a moment.

When she'd taken care of her injuries in her leg and arm as best as she could, she snooped around until she found a large jug of water collected under the eaves of the house. She dipped her hands in and drank deeply, splashing some of the cool liquid on her face as well. A curious goat sidled up to her and mewled, and she angrily splashed a handful of water at it to scare it away. With a displeased frown, she reentered the house. Maybe while she was here she could find something to defend herself with. Her bare hands would be enough to deal with Eboshi once she found her, but who knew how many of Asano's followers she might run into before she could find that devil gunwoman?

She found nothing useful inside the house and returned back outside. Ashitaka had taken what weapons he possessed with him, it seemed. He knew the journey would be perilous, it seemed, which just made her worry about him all the more. The smoke from the fires carried on the breeze, but the fighting in the town seemed to have quieted a little. A temporary lull. And the perfect time to find Eboshi, or if she was really lucky, Asano, and make them both pay for what they'd done. She looked up the massive timber walls enclosing the island. Even had she wanted to, there was no way she could scale them, with her leg as it was. 'Please, hang in there, my friends,' she thought, wondering how the creatures of the forest were faring without her beyond the lake.

There was a small shed of sorts beside Ashitaka's house. She peeked in not expecting to find much, but to her great delight there were tools and knives of all sizes and wicked-looking hooks for carving up meat. Perfectly suited to what she would be doing. She selected a heavy bladed knife more than a foot long and used a spare makeshift bandage she'd brought along to tie it to her waist. As she tested her weight on her bad leg, she thought sourly, 'If only that elk were here, this would be a lot easier.' Her wolf brothers were no longer around to carry her into battle. She'd seen the proof of it.

"I swear I will avenge you," she said sharply, feeling the edge of the knife with her thumb. It was freshly sharpened, and sliced her skin. "But first I have to spill the blood of that damned woman, and then punish Asano for ever setting foot into my forest." Eboshi's sentence would be light compared to the fate that would befall Asano. She would skin him alive when she found him!

Taking a long pole with a curved, iron hook on the end of it, San used it to help support her weight. She squinted in the bright sunlight outside the shed but set her course determinedly for the main body of the town. She may be weak, but she was not beaten. And if anybody stood in her way, she would drag their souls straight down to hell with her.

Author's Notes:

Midterms are done now, thankfully, so I've got time to finish this and start the next chapter. Have to admit, it's getting hard to write now. This battle will be the longest I've ever written and will take a couple of chapters. But I'll do my best. Please be patient with me. Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 25

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Chapter Twenty-five

Kaya had retreated from the monstrous, boiling hearth—the heart of the ironworks—running as fast as she could along the suspended walkways where women in single file pushed carts of iron ore to dump into the molten pool. Several of the ladies complained as she jostled them in her rush to escape while others exclaimed about the red smoke now pouring from the hearth's gaping mouth. All hell was about to break loose, and she had more orders yet to fulfill. The disturbance she created was noticed by more than the working women. A couple of guards standing idly by with sheets of parchment and leather scourges spotted her amidst the commotion and shouted for her to be apprehended. Kaya shoved past a stocky woman and climbed over the cart of another in her attempt to escape. She raced for the window over the coal bin, feet slapping on wooden planks as she ran. Another pair of overseers was climbing up the ladders from the floor below to cut her off. Kaya bolted for the window and grabbed for the pulley. It gave way easily, and she plummeted down into the deep bin. She hit the coal feet first, knees buckling, and she fell on her backside. A shout from above caught her ear, and she saw a man topple out of the window, falling down in the bin with her. He groaned and writhed a little, but did not get up. The bucket that clipped him when he stuck his head out the window fell into the coal by Kaya's toes. Kaya scrambled up, not bothering to dust the grime off of her clothes, and scurried up the rough logs hedging her in. Guards were shouting from the window and taunting her, but then a boom like deafening thunder made her lose her grip, and she fell into the alley below.

"Ooomph!" she grunted when she impacted something firm. Not so firm as the ground, though she ended up with her face dangling just inches above it. She felt something squirm under her and identified Toki's wincing face.

"For heaven's sake, Kaya," the woman complained. "What have you been eating lately? You sure are fat!"

"I am not!" Kaya replied indignantly. "Thanks for catching me, though."

"Catching. Right. In the nick of time, too. C'mon," Toki said, struggling to get to her feet. She offered Kaya a hand up as well. "We'd better hurry. Things are about to get really ugly!" The reverberating echoes of the explosion faded, and even Asano's men at the forge window fell silent in the wake of it. Toki and Kaya wasted no time fleeing the scene. They avoided the streets and kept to the narrow alleys, ducking and checking around corners to make sure the coast was clear. Most of Iron Town was still in bed, but raised voices could be heard from buildings and in the streets as people rushed outdoors to see what had cause of the roar and of the billowing black smoke was that was rising to the sky. Toki halted their flight momentarily to investigate a long crate stacked with others outside a cloth dyer's shop. She pulled back the thick cloth covering its contents and handed Kaya a rifle. Kaya bobbed a bit under its weight, staring at it like it was a viper in her arms.

"Just in case," Toki said, handling hers like it was her arm or leg. Kaya gaped at the woman, stuttering,

"But I can't….."

"Just—in—case," Toki emphasized. "Now come on. Let's go. We've got a job to do."

Kaya swallowed thickly and nodded. Toki trotted back down the alley, leading Kaya through the maze of alleys and empty streets. She could hear far-off sounds of fighting. Guns being fired and people shouting. They were getting closer. Kaya felt a sick, cold dread filling her stomach. Was she going to have to fight, too? She couldn't use a rifle, and her skills with a sword or knife were hardly noteworthy. Until now she'd always counted on Ashitaka, or Kenshin, to protect her. But now they were both gone. Where, she knew not.

Their feet drummed the ground rhythmically. Toki again motioned them to a stop as they came up behind large shed used to store animal feed. Following the older, more experienced woman, Kaya inched her way along the timber wall, holding the tip of her heavy rifle barrel up, her finger safely away from the trigger. She couldn't aim well, either.

"Lady Eboshi and Gonza should be clear now," Toki said in a low voice, peering around the corner for possible trouble. "I wonder how the attack went. To think, we're using grenades on our own town. Wait here. I'll be back in just a minute. I want to take a closer look."

Kaya's face fell. The dawn attack on the mercenary barracks had been planned by Lady Eboshi herself, but it was Kaya who had given the signal. Red smoke like blood curling towards the sky, the foretelling of what was to come. And now she was soon to be caught up in a battle she wasn't even sure she was going to survive.

'Ashitaka! What should I do?' she wondered silently, squeezing her eyes shut as though she could pretend everything going on around her was a dream she would wake up from when she opened them again.

When Toki returned not long after, Kaya was so startled she jumped nearly a foot in the air. She was so tense her own shadow would probably startle her. What if Toki had been one of Asano's mercenaries instead, coming around the corner? Would she have used the awkward rifle in her hands? Could she do it, if she had to? Her small hands were not her only inhibition. She wondered if she might just run away.

"It sure is a mess out there," Toki said when she rejoined her. "It looks as though the rest of Asano's thugs are finally starting to get their act together. Some of our people swooped in right after the blast and started shooting at the ones who weren't taken out by the grenades. They'll have to retreat pretty soon, though. Those guys are getting organized. And I don't think they're too happy."

Kaya bit her lip then forced herself to ease up. "Has…..has anyone been hurt? On our side?"

"Not that I know of. Everyone's following orders pretty smartly and staying low." She gazed off in the direction of the fighting. "Well, time to go. We still have our part to play."

Kaya nodded and tailed after her. They slinked along the narrow backstreets, occasionally taking refuge behind carts and buildings. They were to help evacuate any of the townspeople Yohko and Emi's team hadn't been able to reach and enlist any who were willing or able to fight. Even before Asano and his mercenaries moved in, Iron Town had been home to some two thousand people. Not all of them were part of the resistance. The Council had to be careful about whom they trusted with their plans, but not every townsperson was a soldier. And not everyone could be warned in time about the attack that morning. As they drew nearer to the area of town the bombing had been concentrated in, Kaya saw more and more people peering out of windows or standing about in the streets. A few red-and-white-clad people among the commoners gaped at the smoke rising over the wreckage that had once been the mercenaries' barracks within the town. Kaya was afraid to get too close. Gunshots still rang out every few seconds.

"So…..how do we do this?" Kaya wondered aloud as she and Toki peered around the corner of a glass shop.

"Well, it's not as though we can just tap everyone on the shoulder and whisper into their ears," Toki replied with a joking smile. "This is gonna be pretty dangerous. You sure you're up to it?"

Kaya had to consider that for a brief second before nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry," Toki assured her. "Just follow my lead." The woman reached into a pouch hanging on her belt and pulled out one of Eboshi's fire sticks. Kaya mentally recited a sutra and held her rifle against her chest as the woman struck the stick against a brick and lit the stubby fuse on her own weapon. It caught and began smoking as the seconds ticked off. Toki stormed out into the open, causing the people who noticed her to step back warily, and shouted at the top of her lungs,

"Listen up, people! This is a revolution! Those who will fight for Iron Town and freedom follow us!" Her statement was punctuated by the deafening explosion from the rifle as she sent an iron bullet flying through the chest of one of the stunned mercenaries. He was thrown back, dead before he hit the ground. His fellows stared in awe, then hastily drew their swords, glaring at Toki over their veils with narrowed, outraged eyes. Toki, a master of the rifle by now, had already reloaded and took down another mercenary with her sharp aim. The townspeople around them were already worked into a frenzy. Some fled yelling in random directions, while a few more stood by as though fixed to the spot, eyes wide, holding frightened children tightly by the hand. Kaya stepped out into the confusion, to beckon all those who would join them and lead them away to safety, but to her surprise, at least a dozen of the men and women in the street turned on the two remaining mercenaries in their midst, hitting and kicking them, beating them with whatever was lying around handy. The two didn't stand a chance and disappeared beneath the swarm of yelling bodies.

"Hey! HEY!" Toki shouted loudly to be heard above the clamor . When she saw she was ignored, she loaded another iron ball into her gun, firing the shot up into the air. It rang out loudly, echoing off the neighboring buildings like rolling thunder. The townspeople dog-piling the mercenaries scrambled like a rabbit warren attacked by a badger. They looked around with wide, almost mad eyes. Kaya was shocked to see such a transformation come over the people she'd come to know and love.

"Get a grip, everyone!" Toki ordered in a stern voice. "Get the sick and the children together with a few able-bodied men and women to look after them and follow Kaya into the tunnels! Do it fast, before we attract any more attention! Those who want to fight back and give Asano's strong-arms some long overdue payback, come with me!"

It was time for Kaya to take charge now. She was a little uncertain about taking control of all these people, though. Toki was a natural leader. Everyone in Iron Town looked up to her, almost as much as they did Lady Eboshi. But the people in the streets quickly sorted themselves out, some running into shops and houses to fetch family members or personal belongings. Kaya thought the unnecessary delay foolish. This was a war. They would lucky to keep their own lives. They couldn't afford to linger. She caught herself frowning in displeasure at a woman who emerged from her house with an armful of colorful silk kimono. The woman noticed the expression and slunk out of Kaya's field of vision in a cringing manner. Kaya pursed her lips but didn't say anything.

"Good luck, Kaya!" Toki called out to her as she and her squad set off down the street, armed with an odd assortment of weapons—everything from rocks to kitchen knives to glass bottles. Now their task was to get to the forge, stopping along some of the caches on the way to distribute weapons.

Kaya took a deep breath and began giving out her own instructions to the men and women who remained. Some, like the rug weaver Kaya knew, were recent additions to Iron Town. They'd come here to do good business, not to escape the miseries of the world. Not all the citizens of Iron Town were the same hardy spirits who had founded it. There was also a smattering of men—some with bald heads and wrinkles covering their ancient faces and some with injuries like a broken arm or foot. One woman with graying wispy hair had a bandage covering blind eyes and was leaning on the arm of a pretty younger girl. Mothers also protectively hovered over their children like overanxious hens, faces as anxious as those of their families.

"Alright, everyone, listen to me!" Kaya shouted, doing her best to emulate Toki's air of authority. "I want the able-bodied men and women to surround the group, with more following behind." A necessary precaution just in case any of Asano's red-and-white's showed up. All in all, there were about fifty or sixty people gathered there in the middle of the street. All her responsibility.

"Okay!" she yelled, wishing her mouth didn't feel so fearfully dry. "Follow me, and keep your eyes open. Shout if there's any danger!" She hoped against hope that there wouldn't be. They took off in the direction opposite the one Toki and her little army had gone. Kaya hoped that those fighting for Asano would be distracted by the attack in town or at least heading there to see what the ruckus was all about. Not that she wished any more trouble on the men and women already fighting guerrilla-style at the scene. But any soldier gathering towards the column of smoke and charred rubble was a soldier out of her way. All the same, she took the same carefully chosen backstreets and alleys that she and Toki had mapped out to lead the people to safety.

They picked up a few stragglers on the way, people who stopped to gape at the curious procession. When informed of what was going on, some of them immediately dashed away to find weapons to join the fighting. As the mass streamed through the narrow streets, Kaya sent men and women into homes from time to time to quickly rouse anyone who hadn't been awoken by the blast, or those who were too afraid to come out. Judging by the speed at which people evacuated, most had already been prepared for just such an occasion. That made Kaya feel slightly more relieved. She wasn't sure how many townspeople Emi and Yohko the sentry women had been able to warn overnight. Those two were on similar missions, gathering up those who were too old to fight or lame or sick. Kaya hoped they were safe, but she had enough to worry about just getting her one group to the underground tunnels and to safety.

As they rounded the corner of a tannery, Kaya practically ran headlong into a tall, thick man dressed in a red cap and white veil—one of the street patrols. The man stopped short, his sandals scraping the ground, and he blinked at the crowd of people filling the alley. His eyes widened and he reached for the curved sword tied to his waist. Kaya didn't even take time to think. Clutching the long rifle in her hands, she swung it with all her might at the samurai's head. The butt of it pounded his skull with a sickening crunch, and the man dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Chest heaving, Kaya stared at her handiwork. A thin trickle of blood ran from the man's scalp onto his white veil. Had she killed him? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't willing to stick around long enough to find out! She did spare a moment to relieve him of his second, shorter sword. She was no good with a rifle, except to whack the enemy with, but a knife was more familiar. That she could use. If necessary. One of the men with her party quickly claimed the other sword, and Kaya gladly gave the rifle to one of the women who had also stayed to escort them, a tough if stringy woman Kaya thought was named Chinami.

"Come on!" she urged her followers, stepping over the mercenary's immobile form and trotting down the shady alley. Finding the crate where Toki had left rifles earlier, she told the other men to arm themselves. Two of the townswomen, forge workers Kaya thought they were, complained, but Kaya rounded on them angrily, reminding them that they had chosen to flee, not fight. That put them in their places promptly and colored their cheeks a deep red. There were no other objections after that.

Taking care to check around corners before leading the townspeople into a street quiet except for a roaming dog, Kaya heard her name over the faraway din of the battle. She looked up the row of shops to see Emi approaching, a crowd of people young and old trailing her. Kaya imagined that the sentry woman's grin matched her own. The group caught up with hers, and Emi related news of the battle.

"It's pretty hot over there. The resistance is inflicting some heavy damage. From what I heard, we've only lost a few people so far. Asano's completely ignoring the outskirts of the town. He's ordering all of his men to the barracks to stamp out the rebels."

"Oh no!" Kaya gasped. What about the people fighting in that quarter? Asano's people far outnumbered the resistance.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine. Trying to get rid of us will be like trying to squash termites in a fallen log. He may pick off a few here and there, but before he knows it, we'll be popping up everywhere, taking him by surprise."

"What of Lady Eboshi? And Princess Mononoke?"

Emi shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know. But they're both capable women. I'm sure they've got everything under control and haven't even broken a sweat yet. By the way, I ran into Asako on the way here. She said if I saw you to send you to Lady Eboshi. She wants to see you when you've accomplished your mission."

"Me?" At Emi's nod, Kaya shifted her weight nervously.

"She was on the roof of the blacksmith's workshop when I saw her last," Emi informed her. "Don't worry about these folks. I'll see that they get through the tunnels safely. You go find Lady Eboshi."

"Um, okay," Kaya replied weakly. She studied the woman's slightly dirty face for a moment. She was beaming brightly, as if all this business made her happy.

"You be careful now," Emi told her with a hint of lightheartedness in her tone

"I will," Kaya said. The men and women who had accompanied her thanked her for rescuing them—Kaya didn't think she'd done that much, really—and fell in with Emi's lot. Kaya wondered if such a large crowd—three times the size of what it had been originally—would be able to navigate the streets unnoticed. The guards bearing weapons circled around the group like dogs protecting a flock of sheep, and Emi waved one last time before heading off for a certain Councilwoman's house in whose root cellar lay a hatch to the tunnels. Kaya suddenly felt very alone, standing there in the streets. She felt the hilt of the mercenary's sword nervously, hesitating to draw it. Her hand gripped it firmly the entire way.

Kaya was familiar enough with the layout of Iron Town by now to know that the blacksmith's shops surrounded the forge. And the barracks that had been demolished earlier that morning were only a few blocks away. Kaya felt her blood run cooler with every gunshot that rang out closer and louder. She kept to the alleyways as much as possible. Whenever she saw red and white robes running down the streets, she stayed back until they were gone. After a while, she realized she had hardly seen any townspeople at all. They must be keeping out of sight as well, vanishing like smoke after attacking, all according to plan.

The sun eventually rose over the mountains, shedding its rays on Iron Town and filling the streets with an eerie golden glow. Impartial to who won or lost this day, it would continue to rise as it always had. Kaya wondered if she would be alive to see its light on the morrow. Her white-knuckle grip on the short sword never loosened.

Another explosion startled her, and she dashed to the end of the alley to see what had caused it. Smoke, further away, but freshly rising to the sky, wicked and dark. Eboshi had planned to bomb more than the mercenary barracks, but Kaya wasn't sure where the blasts would erupt. It was all in Eboshi's strange, encrypted papers. Kaya took off running across the street to reach the next alley, but she heard a man's rough shout while caught out in the open. She looked up the hard packed lane to see a towering man in red and white just a few dozen paces away. She hadn't noticed him just a second ago, but as the only townsperson in view, she stood out like a noblewoman in a rice paddy. He bared his sword and came at her, picking up speed. Kaya gasped and bolted for an alley. The mercenary took up pursuit, all the while shouting at her to halt. Kaya had no intention of obeying.

The alley twisted and turned like a maze, in some places barely wide enough for her to get through as the buildings became tightly crowded together. Kaya didn't need to look over her shoulder to know she was still being chased. She ricocheted off a building's smooth stone side as she turned a corner, running until she felt a fiery pain growing in her side. Over the past several months of decadent living, she hadn't taken the time to do things like run and jump and play like she used to as a girl. Maybe Kenshin had been right about her eating too many sweets lately!

Without warning, her sandal snagged on a rough patch of ground, and Kaya tripped clumsily, almost flattening her nose as she went down like a felled tree. Maybe it was her own good fortune that she smacked her forehead instead. Momentarily dazed, Kaya pushed herself up onto her feet and ran off again, even as her vision was still clearing. She ran out into another street—by the smell, she guessed she was at the fish market—and blinked in the bright sunlight. She'd lost track of where she was while running from the mercenary, but now the sight of the morning's catches, left abandoned in the confusion, confirmed it. She wasn't far now. Just a half a dozen or so blocks.

She looked back at the alley. The mercenary pursuing her didn't appear. Had she lost him? With a nervous glance over her shoulder, she jogged down the street, the shortest route to the smithy.

The battle had quieted down a little—a temporary lull during which both Asano's army and the rebels would be regrouping. Calculating. Wary. Kaya came across evidence of the fighting. Bodies of street guards and Asano's regulars, some slumped up against storefronts, some lying out in the open. All soaked with blood. It was hard to see against the red uniforms, but when a man lay immobile in a pool of it, there was no mistaking he was dead.

A couple solitary shots rang out. Whether they belonged to Asano's men or the resistance was impossible to tell. Indiscernible shouting followed. Kaya's eyes scanned her surroundings. A movement up ahead caught her eye, in the second story window of an inn.

No, from the side!

"Gotcha!" She was caught off guard, and before she knew it, a man in red and white garb was lunging at her, blade drawn. Kaya fumbled for the short sword, bringing it out just in time to block a downward slash that would have cleaved her skull in two. She recognized his build as the same mercenary who had been chasing her earlier. She was far weaker than her adversary however, and the force of his blow pounded her to the ground like a nail. A deft but forceful flick of his sword tore the short blade out of her hands. The mercenary kicked her to the ground contemptuously, uttering a filthy curse as he pulled back his blade to skewer her like a fish. Kaya's whole body froze and she stared in terror at the man's sword.

A loud crack rent the air, accompanied by a scream from the mercenary standing over Kaya. Blood sprayed from his chest, some of it onto Kaya, dribbled out of his mouth, and he fell forward. Kaya shrieked and scrambled back as the dead man dropped where she'd been a moment before. A shout from above caught her ear, and she turned up her eyes to see a woman bearing a rifle waving from a weaver's rooftop. She wore a white kerchief over her head. The riflewoman waved at her then ducked out of sight. A resistance member, no doubt, though Kaya hadn't been able to make out her face. She picked up the short sword and backed away from the mercenary's prone form, stumbling as she fled the scene.

She hadn't gone five steps when the air suddenly came alive with the noise of gunfire, like driving rain on a tin roof but a hundred times louder. Kaya froze in her tracks and gazed off towards the source, breath catching in her throat. Who was firing? The rebels, or Asano's forces? Kaya didn't want to put one foot closer to it, but something within her pounding heart made her inch forward.

Up ahead, she spotted a human figure bursting out into the streets, pursued by two of Asano's men. This far away she couldn't even tell if the figure was a man or a woman, but sunlight glinted off of a short knife wielded in the person's hand. The two red-robed men stopped and took aim with rifles, and two simultaneous gunshots joined the cacophony, and the fleeing man—or woman?—stumbled and fell. Before he hit the ground, though, two more townspeople concealed on the roof revealed themselves with iron bullets and puffs of gunpowder smoke, and the two mercenaries died along with the man they'd just murdered. Like ghosts in daylight, the two rebels vanished immediately after.

More men and women were taking to the streets now. Dressed in lay clothes and red and white uniforms, they teemed out into the open. A few at first, then more and more. The rumbling of man-made thunder accompanied them as rifles went off on both sides. The sound of steel on steel resonated throughout the air, too, as the citizens of Iron Town and Asano's mercenaries brought the battle out into the open. Kaya shook her head, horrified at the sight of carnage of violence unfolding right before her eyes. The samurai's short sword almost dropped from her numb hand. It was just like home, when war was brought to her very doorstep. This wasn't according to plan. At least, not as far as Kaya knew. The rebels were to strike, then retreat. Then strike, then retreat. Hiding. Waiting for the right opportunities. But all Kaya saw breaking out amidst the vegetable shops and rice stands was sheer chaos. A handful of Iron Town citizens, unarmed and fleeing for their lives, blew past her, almost knocking her right over.

"Kaya!" she heard a voice shout from the sky. "What do you think you're doing?" At hearing her name, Kaya's head jerked, and she looked up to see a woman on the roof of a thatched house just beside her. She could easily make out Toki's face and recognized her voice. She was so relieved to see the forge woman still alive that she almost cried. The other woman reflected no such sentiment.

"Get down, for heaven's sake, before you're shot down!" Toki paused to fire into the writhing mass filling the market. Kaya couldn't tell who found her bullet—people were falling every other second, screaming out as they died, on their side and Asano's as well. Mercenaries clutched throats slashed by kitchen knives, rebels gripped sword blades thrust through their chests with bloodied hands…..and always guns were firing, like terrible roaring lions. Kaya couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of men and women being thrown back by the force of the rifles, of blood thickening the air.

"Kaya!" Toki's harsh shout brought her back her wits, and Kaya hastily darted into a side street, falling to her knees as she felt all of her strength abandon her. She heard a thud and was suddenly gazing at Toki's soft leather shoes. Bits of straw from the thatched roof rained down on them, but Kaya couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything. She wanted to throw up.

"Kaya, what's wrong? Are you injured?" Toki asked worried, squatting before her and gripping her shoulders, looking Kaya over with narrow, critical eyes. Kaya shook her head, but the rest of her was already shaking.

"I…..I can't do this!" she gasped, barely able to get the words out. "I can't fight!"

She half expected Toki to be disgusted with her, or at the very least frustrated. But instead of being upbraided for her cowardice, Kaya heard the woman say,

"Yes, Kaya, you can! You are strong! Stronger than you think! Look at me. Look at me!" Kaya lifted her eyes to meet Toki's flashing ones. The woman held her firmly in her vice-like grasp. "What is important to you?"

Kaya was baffled by the question, but Toki's iron-hard face demanded an answer, she could tell. Kaya swallowed the lump in her throat and responded,

"Ashitaka. And Kenshin. And you, and Lady Eboshi, and—"

"Do you want to see them again?" Toki asked, in a tone that reminded Kaya of a hammer driving down a nail.

"Yes….." she mewled weakly, tears starting to splash down her cheeks.

Toki picked up the mercenary's sword where Kaya had dropped it and forced it into her hand.

"Then stay alive. Worry about that much for a start."

In addition to that, Toki hauled Kaya up onto her feet like she was picking up a rag doll. Years of hard labor in the ironworks had given her the strength of a man. But Kaya sensed that a lot of that strength didn't lie in the woman's muscles. It lay in her heart, in her spirit. Iron Town was important to her. Its people were important to her. And although Toki grabbed her by her other hand and began dragging her around the house and through the back streets as if she was a runaway horse and Kaya the cart, Kaya got the feeling that Toki was fighting to protect her, too. Stay alive. Easier said than done, she thought. Why couldn't she be more like the forge woman? Toki had her own life to think about, and yet she risked it for just the chance to save others. Like Koroku had done.

"Lady Eboshi's been asking after you," Toki mentioned, long black hair in a loose ponytail thrashing her back as she ran, changing direction without warning and jerking Kaya from one alley to another. She stopped by a blacksmith's workshop and pulled open the back door. Before they even stepped in, they found themselves on the wrong ends of long iron rifles. Kaya's heart leapt into her throat before she saw that the men on the other side of the guns were townsmen. The two older men, stocky and with gray-tinged hair at their temples were equally startled, but lowered their weapons at once.

"'Bout time, Toki. Lady Eboshi's been waiting."

Toki didn't bother to formulate a witty retort; instead, she brushed past them, heading towards the corner of the room. Kaya looked back at the two men. Had she and Toki been enemies, no doubt they would have been killed on the spot and the alarm raised. Kaya tore her eyes away from them and followed Toki up a wooden ladder that led to the loft. Their feet stepped and stumbled over piles of coal to another shorter ladder in the corner that took them to the flat roof. When Kaya stepped out into daylight again, she could see over the low wall surrounding the roof the battle going on below. Hundreds of people were fighting in the streets. The noise was at its loudest now. The shouts of hatred and agony were almost as loud as the rifles.

"Keep low," Toki warned, hunching over and waddling with her gun to the edge of the roof. Huddled behind the partition were Lady Eboshi and Gonza and three other women—two from the Council and one Kaya had never seen before. Eboshi was half kneeling, studying papers laid out on the brick roof and tracing what looked like escape routes with a finger. The unfamiliar woman looked over her shoulder, nodding at whatever it was Eboshi was telling her. Gonza occupied himself with peeking over the partition once in a while, quickly firing off a rifle and then throwing himself down. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Kaya would have thought it comical. The other two Councilwomen were armed only with crossbows, and they did the same as Gonza. Look up, quickly isolate a target, fire, then get down. Reload, then repeat the process. A cruelly efficient business.

Eboshi looked up from her plans as Kaya and Toki joined them. Without a word of greeting, she began informing them of the situation.

"Asano's forces have overrun some of the tunnels, mainly in the Eastern district, by my former home." She scratched out the lines signifying the tunnels with a piece of charcoal. "They nearly made it to the forge passage, but Sonoko and Teru collapsed it just in time. For now, are headquarters is secured." Kaya blinked, looking over the map. Even upside down, she could identify some of the more important routes—the Council had set up traps along some of the more vital tunnels so that they could be collapsed in case of an emergency. And just shortly after she sent off the smoke signal—had it really only been an hour ago? It felt like so much longer—the lepers would have broken out of their hideaway and taken control of the forge with the help of some of the workers involved in the resistance. All according to plan. Eboshi had worked the preparations out to the most minute details. So why had the fighting come out into the open so suddenly?

She had half a mind to ask, but before she could decide, another woman popped up onto the roof. She was unarmed excepted for a dagger strapped to her waist, and unkempt strands of hair were falling out of her kerchief, sticking to her sweaty face.

"My lady," she panted, running over to them. Kaya noticed that the underside of her left sleeve was bloody.

"Tomoe. What is it?" Eboshi asked smoothly, disregarding the woman's fresh wound.

"Soldiers have lined up at the gates. Hundreds of them. Maybe even thousands. They're reinforcements."

"Did Miwako and Zaizen succeed in disabling the gate?"

The woman nodded, still breathing heavily from exertion. Eboshi set down the piece of charcoal and reached over to hand the woman a skin full of water. Tomoe guzzled it down, wiping her mouth and bowing her thanks to Eboshi. Kaya looked from Tomoe to Eboshi with confusion.

"Disable the gate?" she asked.

Toki explained. "We were afraid that things might get out of hand if suddenly the thousands of mercenaries in the hills were to suddenly come pouring in, so—"

"It was a last minute decision," Eboshi finished, cool faced and serene as a spring day. "We had to destroy the gears that operate the main gate. If Asano's reinforcements want in, they'll have to start climbing."

"Not that that will do them any good," said Tomoe with a smile, who also seemed not to notice her damp, dark red sleeve. "We'll shoot down any who so much as show a hair over that wall."

For a few moments Kaya wasn't even sure she'd heard right. Was she the only one who saw the drawback to this scheme?

"But what about Princess Mononoke?" she inquired. "She and the animals will be attacking the camps outside any time now. How are we supposed to help them if we're trapped here in Iron Town?" In her mind, she'd pictured scores of Iron Town' citizens marching out the front gate and over the land bridge, valiantly going to the aid of the forest princess, fighting side by side with her and the creatures of the forest. Eboshi's airy voice dispelled that fantasy.

"I will help Princess Mononoke in whatever way I can," she said, "but my first priority is here, to my people. It will not take long for Asano's men to get their act together. They will want Azuma's help. Tomoe, go to the ramparts and tell our friends there to make sure that the enemy doesn't get that gate working, whatever it takes." The woman nodded and jumped up, sprinting back for the ladder to the roof and keeping low. "Toki," she continued, "is the forge secure?"

Toki nodded with satisfaction. "Easy as cake. I guess Asano didn't think a bunch of girls would pose much of a threat to him. There were minimal guards there at best. And all the workers have thrown in their lots with us. Still, we'll keep an eye on them, just in case."

'Just in case there were other Murasakis I didn't know about,' Kaya thought despondently, though neither woman so much as looked at her.

"Excellent," Lady Eboshi commended her. "Make sure that they keep the fires going. I hate to waste any more iron on Asano than I already have, but we may have to play every advantage we've got before the end." If worst came to worst, the massive hearth that was the heart and soul of Iron Town could be overturned, sending a fiery, boiling river of molten iron gushing out of the forge and into the street. It would not be a pleasant thing for anyone outside, townsperson or mercenary, to experience.

"How long do you think that might be?" Toki wondered.

Eboshi pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I'm not sure," Kaya heard her admit.

"My Lady," Toki asked after a moment quiet but for the sounds of battle surrounding them, "if it's alright, I'd like to go back to the forge. Asako and the lepers are having a hard time keeping out the vermin." Eboshi dipped her head graciously, and Toki gave Kaya one last smirk before collecting her rifle and heading out. Kaya was left to wonder if she'd see the woman alive ever again, despite all her courage and strength. Since that morning, she'd been acting like this was all fun to her. Perhaps she was just eager to exact revenge on Asano and his troops for the murder of her husband.

Eboshi made a gesture with her hand and the other woman attending her retreated silently, picking up a crossbow and some bolts to join the others shooting from the edge of the roof. Kaya, curious about what it was Lady Eboshi wanted to speak to her about, folded her legs under her respectfully and sat at attention.

"Please don't think ill of me, Kaya," Eboshi said soothingly. "I know how important Princess Mononoke is to you, and to Ashitaka. We've had our…..quarrels…..in the past, but this time is different. Now we have a common enemy who couldn't be gladder to rid the world of both of us." Her smile belied the meaning in her words. "He may yet succeed before this is all over." She lowered her voice a little, though it was doubtful they could be heard over the clamor of guns and shouts and swords clashing. "If anything happens to me, Toki is to take my place and lead our motley army. And if by some miracle we succeed in this mess, then she is to govern Iron Town in my stead. The people here like her, and they trust her. This decision was made by the whole Council, not just myself, at a private meeting neither you nor she were summoned to."

Kaya inclined her head slightly, trying to comprehend what she was being told. Really, the idea that boggled her most was that Lady Eboshi might not survive the battle. Kaya had always believed the woman to be invincible, even though common sense told her otherwise. She had a hard time imagining an Iron Town without Lady Eboshi in it to lead and care for the people.

"However, should Toki fall in this fight as well….." Eboshi's blue eyes pierced Kaya to the core, holding her spellbound. "…..the Council has agreed to follow you."

The spell was broken, and Kaya rocked back.

"M-me!" she stammered. Eboshi offered her a reassuring smile.

"You were a leader among your own people, and many in Iron Town have come to see you in that same light, even after a short time. This is not a mantle that will be forced upon you, but I am asking you personally to accept it. Iron Town needs strong people to lead her, and I will not always be around to do it."

Kaya stared at her with wide eyes. "I….."

"You do not have to answer right away, although sooner would be preferred to later." The woman inclined her ear towards the ongoing battle in the streets below. "Who knows? Maybe we'll all escape this madness somehow. To think, I would ever have to fight humans in my own abode." She sighed. "Anyhow, please think on it, Kaya. Now, as for the other matter," Eboshi stated, changing the subject swiftly, "we have a war to win. Follow me." She folded and tucked away her battle plans and rose to her feet, standing straight and tall despite the danger around them. Gonza and the townswomen noticed and ceased firing, gathering up their weapons to follow unquestioningly. Kaya fell in with the entourage. They all descended into the iron workshop, and at a glance from Eboshi, Gonza wordlessly went to a wall on which the blacksmith's tools hung neatly on pegs.

Gonza removed a particularly large hammer from its place, and the peg sprang up, freed of the weight. Kaya could hear cogs and pulleys working, and the wall swung neatly out of the way to reveal the entrance to another tunnel, one of the larger dug by the townspeople in secret over the past weeks. Kaya obediently followed Eboshi and the others into the tunnel, and once inside, Gonza released a rope that caused the wall to swing back into its original position. It was dark inside, but lanterns had been left here and there along the way, giving barely enough illumination to guide them. Gonza looked at the heavy iron hammer in his hand and decided to hang it on his belt. It might come in handy, his unfriendly glare explained when Kaya looked at him wonderingly.

They made a macabre procession as they proceeded down the more or less straight way to an intersection of tunnels. Eboshi turned right and headed down one that was only wide enough for them to walk single file, and it was unlit. Kaya stretched out her hands to feel the rough earth guiding her as she tried to steady her breathing. The feeling was almost like being in a tomb. The only difference being that she wasn't dead. Yet. Before long she bumped into the person in front of her, signaling that they'd stopped. Someone was thumping the barrel of a rifle up ahead, and in just a few moments, yellowish light funneled down into the tunnel from above. Eboshi in the lead began climbing one-handed up the rope ladder trailing down from the hatch. Then Kaya saw two pairs of arms reach down to help her up, and she disappeared into the warm light. The two women from the Council went next, then the one whose name Kaya didn't know, then it was Kaya's turn. Hands hooked under her arms and helped her up out of the stiflingly warm tunnel into an even hotter chamber. Kaya had never been inside this one before, but the sight of a dozen or so people with body parts or even their whole bodies wrapped in bandages and sweating, tired-looking women announced that she was now in the Leper's Lair, as the place had come to be humorously known. Eboshi had removed her outer kimono and given it to a leper woman to take care of. The light haori and dark blue pants tied at the knee were similar to Kaya's own clothes. Inside the chamber the atmosphere felt smothering and hot, despite the manpowered bellows that pumped fresh air from pipes leading outside. Kaya wiped her forehead and then was gently nudged aside to allow Gonza in the rear to come up for air, but she didn't have a second to pause before a short but bright-eyed woman in white bandages trotted up to her. Her startlingly blue eyes triggered Kaya's memory.

"You're Aoi, right?" she asked.

"Hey, you remember me! Aww, I'm flattered. Hey, come over here, I want to show you something, Kaya!"

Eboshi was busy conversing with two other lepers who were showing her a gun. Eboshi was looking at it critically and hefting it in her one remaining arm. Kaya followed after Aoi, skirting around anvils and fires and piles of steel rods to a corner of the earthen chamber where rifles were stacked up higher than her head and three people deep.

"We've been working day and night on these," Aoi boasted, picking up a rifle in hands concealed by bandages. She seemed to have donned more since Kaya saw her last. Afflicted with leprosy as she was, though, Aoi's vivid and cheerful eyes were enthusiastic and seemed to smile for her covered mouth. "Eboshi heard about them from some merchants who came by a few months before Asano came, so she asked us to try to build them ourselves. Wasn't easy, but we managed to pull it off."

"What's so special about it?" Kaya inquired. It looked like an ordinary rifle, except a little shorter, wider, and without the scooping cut in the base to balance on one's shoulder.

"Well, for one thing," Aoi declared, "these guns can hold more than one bullet at a time and don't have to be reloaded with gunpowder and lit after every shot. Just aim and shoot, aim and shoot. Up to half a dozen shots before you need to reload. With these, you can down three men before the first even realizes he's been hit." She giggled, and Kaya frowned. As Aoi began loading the smaller, cork-shaped bullets into the newly finished rifles brought by another leper, Kaya surveyed the work going on in the hellish workshop. She didn't know what was worse—the sounds of swords and guns and shrieking outside or the laughter and crackling of fire and clinking of hammers that made these new guns, the spiked clubs, and the few heavy cannons lined up against one wall. The lepers and the forge women assisting them seemed cheerful enough, talking about ordinary things like children and husbands and shopping, as though completely oblivious of the purpose these weapons were being made to serve. Kaya supposed she couldn't fault them, though. War was war, and if any people had a reason to fight, they did. Even so, how much would it cost them in the end to win?

She wended her way back through the workshop, giving only short, half-felt hellos to the people who paused their work long enough to greet her. Eboshi was still with the lepers, holding the new and improved rifle and talking about it in a voice hardly audible over the din. Eboshi's eyes locked on to her as she approached, and for the moment ignored her companions. Kaya wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she stood before the woman and said,

"My lady, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my mission. There may still be people in Iron Town who need help escaping, and I'd like to save as many as I can." The idea had terrified her before, but now, after beholding the battle with her own eyes and these tools that would only make the battle grow more gruesome, she wanted to help as many people flee that nightmare as possible. Eboshi nodded her approval, with a last caution to be careful and to report back to the forge by nightfall. Then she turned her attention to the gun again, and the shift in her hard blue eyes was as much a dismissal as a shout would have been. Kaya wasn't looking forward to going back into that awful tunnel, but as she lowered herself down the short rope ladder, she reflected that it was a far better place to be than what lay at either end of it.

A hooked pole and a sturdy knife were San's only weapons, but for her they were sufficient. The town she'd come to hate so much was practically deserted except for a few pigs and sheep penned up here and there. After a while of laboriously walking on her injured leg, slow going even with the help of the pole to lean on, the human dwellings, boxy shapes of wood and earthen brick, began to appear more clustered together, and the streets became wider and straight. San did not travel in the open; she hid around corners and in narrow places in case enemies were nearby. And now, knowing that Eboshi had not kept her end of the bargain, enemies could be any humans, Asano's or Eboshi's. She was not afraid of them—she wasn't afraid of anything!—but in her wounded and weary state, she would not last long in outright battle. She would have to be like the wolf spider, striking from unseen places quickly and brutally, then retreating.

Already on her way men of Asano's had almost caught her off guard. San was startled when a barrel she was hiding behind while scanning the vicinity suddenly moved, revealing a burrow, and a red-capped head poked out of it, eyes curious and wondering. When those eyes saw her, the man cried out. In fear perhaps? San didn't wait to find out. Killing him had been as easy as snatching a mouse out of its hole, but she left before the other human coming up behind the dead man could move the mercenary's body out of the way and come out of the burrow.

San saw many strange things during her halting, solitary march. Humans were such odd creatures. They created so many exotic things—carts and tools and panes of glass—but they could not even spend one winter's night away from shelter, could not climb sheer cliffs or tell there was water nearby from just smelling it on the breeze. San supposed those were weaknesses derived from living in large packs. From time to time, often when spending nights with Ashitaka in their cave or out under the stars, San wondered what humans might have been like if they were all raised by wolves. She might actually have liked them. Or at least understood them.

She paused by an unattended stand displaying stacks of thick scrolls of human writing. Ashitaka had been working to teach San to read, though San found the exercises pointless and boring. She preferred to hear stories from his own mouth. Ashitaka always had lots of stories.

She missed him deeply. Now, whenever she thought of him, she regretted those words she spoke at their last encounter. Ashitaka had changed her in more ways than she realized. Before meeting him, Princess Mononoke had never known regret.

Her ears had been accustomed to the unnatural sounds of distant gunfire for some time. Part of her secretly wished that the humans would just kill each other off, though she knew that to be a whimsical hope at best. Asano's minions far outnumbered the people of Iron Town. And she gritted her teeth when she acknowledged that without Eboshi's people distracting the warlord and his mercenaries, Asano would probably have torn up her whole forest by now. She supposed in that respect she did owe small thanks to Eboshi, but that alone was not enough to justify the woman or keep her blood off San's blade.

Moving as stealthily as she could with a limp, San wove through the maze of buildings, staying away from the wide streets when possible. As she neared the source of the incessant noise, she saw more and more people lying dead in the streets. Some had crawled into the alleys and died there. There were a few more dead in Asano's colors than townspeople, but of both sides there were many. She didn't find too many weapons lying around; most had already been scavenged, it seemed. In any case, San would rather have fought barehanded than pick up a human's gun or sword. Once or twice she found humans who, though badly wounded, were still holding onto life desperately. If they were men of Asano, she hastened their journey to the underworld with the heavy-bladed knife, though doing so gave her no sense of pride or honor. Eboshi's she ignored completely.

While hobbling around the corner of a human house that had decorations of folded paper hanging from its eaves, San heard the telling sound of footsteps not far off. She halted her three-legged gait and drew her knife, also wielding the long, hooked pole at the ready. The steps were coming closer, but she could identify more than one pair of feet. Her keen ears picked up three, moving fast but jerkily. One set belonged to a heavy human, the other two were not so large. San pressed herself up against the wall of the wooden house, ready to leap out and kill all three humans before she was spotted. She had to utilize the element of surprise. It was the only advantage she had left to her, with her bandaged leg the way it was.

The first of three long, distorted shadows came into view, then the two others close behind. San could hear their heavy breathing, like deer weary from being hunted and ready to give in to a wolf's lethal bite. All of her muscles bunched, ready to lash out, but she stopped short when the three humans broke into the alleyway.

"Come on," said a familiar face. "It's not far now."

"How much further is it, Kaya?" the tubby one asked. Her sweat gave off the fear scent in strong waves. She constantly looked over her shoulder as if expecting Asano's soldiers to descend on them at any moment.

San deliberated whether or not to speak up. Ashitaka's little sister held little use or interest for her, and she would rather not have her presence known in the town. But the third young woman, roughly Kaya's height and slim with watery eyes, turned her head in San's direction, and she let out a high squeal at seeing San there, only partially hidden behind an open barrel of water.

"Yukiko, what's—aagh! Princess Mononoke!" The woman grabbed the smaller one's arm and pushed Kaya from behind. "Kaya, we have to run! Hurry!"

Kaya was staring at San dumbfounded, eyes fastened on San even as she was being shoved forward. "San?" She immediately abandoned the other two and rushed at her. San had to quell the urge to raise her weapons. She wasn't used to people running at her, and it made her feel uneasy, even Ashitaka's sister.

"San, I can't believe it! How did you get here?" She noticed the blood-stained bandages wrapped around her thigh. "You're hurt! Oh, but I'm so glad you're alive! I was so afraid you'd get killed out there fighting Asano's army!" The other two women had open mouths and were giving Kaya's back wide-eyed stares of disbelief. San decided to ignore them. They were obviously no threat.

"I nearly was," San complained dryly. "No thanks to that devil woman. But instead, all of my people are dying, and I can't get out to help them."

"We can't get out, either, except through the tunnels!" Kaya babbled on. "The gate's broken. Eboshi said we have to keep Asano's mercenaries in the hills from swarming in and wiping us out, but—"

San cut her off. "Tunnels?" That was right. She should have thought of it earlier. Surely some of these people's tunnels led back outside. Revenge on Eboshi was pushed into the far corner of her mind for the moment. Azuma, Asano's general, was still out there, and her vendetta against him took greater priority. She would make him howl for mercy before she was through with him. He would pay dearly for the deaths of her wolf brothers. Besides, the animals and gods of the forest needed her to lead them. She was their princess, after all. How many of them still lived, she wondered? Were they holding against the humans? Her throat constricted, but she was far from crying as she demanded of Kaya,

"Where are the tunnels? How do I get out of here?"

Kaya, mildly startled by the force in San's voice, looked from her to the two women she was with and at their surroundings.

"The closest one I know of leading outside is half a mile away, in a merchant's house. Well, the offshoot is there. It joins up with a network of three or four tunnels, one of which leads down to the shore where the boats are tied. But you'd have to go straight through the thick of the battle to get there, and it's really dangerous!"

"Show me," San commanded her. Kaya glanced back again at the fat and slim woman, and when her eyes turned back to San, they were showing hints of uncertainty.

"I can't right now," she answered. "I've got a job to do, getting people to safety. But if you'll wait for just a while—"

"I can't wait!" San protested. "My people are dying!"

"So are mine!" San was taken aback by the girl's raised voice. That uncertainty San had sensed earlier was dissipating, and the line of the girl's mouth grew set as she told San, "I'll show you a way out, but I'm not going anywhere near that battle. I've seen enough people die today already. I don't want their deaths in my memory as well!" She pointed at the two women who were likewise surprised by Kaya's outburst. "Come with me if you want, or stay here and fight in this ugly battle. It's your choice." She turned her back on San and returned to her two companions, touching them encouragingly on the shoulder and then taking off down the narrow alley. Stupefied, San hastily argued with herself whether or not to follow, and with a low growl in her throat, limped off after them. Trusting Eboshi had gotten her nothing, and even Ashitaka's sister might have ulterior motives. San scowled at the colorful backs of the women in front of her, Kaya's especially. She was starting to think like a human, with all this second guessing. Still, even though she felt as foolish as a robin entering an owl's hole, she had no other choice than to hop in and see if the great bird lay in wait.

Author's Note:

Ah, the joy of finals. I'll be back to writing more soon as the storms pass. Thanks for being patient, minna-sama. Watashi wa ganbatte, kaite mimasu yo.


	27. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 26

Mononoke-hime Continuation Fic

By Mikazuki Yuriko (Danny C.)

Chapter Twenty-six

Eboshi stood on the roof of the great forge, the sawn off pyramid that towered over the rest of town and offered a clear view of the surrounding landscape for miles around. The area of the roof was wide and long enough for some fifty people to walk around comfortably, but right now only a dozen joined her up here in the whipping wind that made strands of her long, raven-dark hair wave like banners. Just moments earlier a forge woman had offered to tie her hair back, but Eboshi politely refused. She stood a pace away from the edge of the pyramid, studying the scene below. Red and white spots mingled with patches of duller colors. The clamor wasn't so loud up here amidst the rippling wind. Even so, Eboshi's hand clenched the hilt of the dagger in her belt tightly, and she kept her face carefully neutral except for a slight thinning of her lips as she surveyed the battle.

"Fools."

Kiyoko, in a shabby pink yukata, was attending her and looked at her curiously as though she wasn't sure she'd heard right, but Eboshi's expression yielded nothing. Eboshi wasn't about to let the middle-aged woman into her thoughts, but she hadn't been able to hold her displeasure back completely. It was not supposed to be like this. She had long feared that the fighting would be brought out into the open. Not by Asano, but by her own people. Their hatred for Asano and his mercenary army burned too hotly to be contained. Though they had the passion to fight for their freedom, they were no match for Asano's red-and-white clad forces. Those men were trained killers. It was their life. Men and women of Iron Town had fought battles against greedy warlords in the past, but they were not skilled warriors. Passion only got a rebellion so far against such odds as they faced. And without their major advantage—the element of surprise—their chances of surviving this day grew slimmer by the minute.

The battle had crept even to the base of the forge. In addition to slaughtering Iron Town citizens left and right, the mercenaries were surrounding them, trying to break into the forge through the six wide doors that had been shut, barred, and barricaded, not to mentioned guarded from within by squads of riflemen and women. The doors were of good iron six inches thick, prepared for just such an occasion at the time the forge had been rebuilt from the ground up. Asano's men were gathered together in groups at three of the entrances firing off bullets and using roughshod battering rams to try to penetrate the forge's defense. Though they might dent the doors through all their effort, Eboshi doubted they would succeed. Still, she knew better than to underestimate her enemy. There were still the tunnels, at least. If it became necessary, the rebels could flee like rabbits and take what little shelter there was in the woods.

"Gonza. Toki. Mae." She barely had to raise her voice and the three named reported to her with alacrity. Eboshi turned and faced them—three serious faces she knew well and had worked with since the early beginnings of Iron Town. Mae was manager of a tavern—or had been, rather, until Asano's thugs took the establishment over. Mae had been crucial in planning many of the resistance's sneak attacks and was also the one who had devised the bombing against Asano's troops a year ago when he attacked them the first time. The idea had been just as effective this morning. Though she had a puckered scar running diagonally across her lips, her smile and friendliness could win the affections of any of Iron Town's citizens. The normally coy expression was missing now, though, and she now looked as though she could out-scowl even Gonza. A widower, her only child, just barely old enough to be considered a man, had died when a sandy section of roof in the mines caved in on him. Asano had sent him there as an example for spitting on the boot of one of the street patrols, and now Mae longed to see their overlords defeated. Like Toki, she was armed with a rifle—one of the older designs. The new models were to be kept in store for later. Chaos may be reigning in the streets of her town, but Eboshi would not let all of her planning go to ruin, which was why she had to regain control as quickly as possible.

"Gonza, give the signal," she instructed coolly, as though there wasn't a battle going on around them at all. "Our forces are to pull back." Gonza nodded his bald head obediently and didn't wait another second to comply. Ordinarily he would make a face and object to such a seemingly cowardly move, but this was stratagem, and when necessary, he could see through his temper at the wisdom of retreating. He crossed the roof, pushing through a loose knot of women who were taking a short break from the insanity to chat. He strode towards a short-range catapult that had been brought up from the Leper's Lair. Laid out in a neat row beside it were several of the small, blockish grenades the lepers had made in their spare time. One of the lepers who had come to her over a decade ago, who referred to himself simply as Master Yun, had been a craftsman in China before he caught the flesh-eating disease. Eboshi discovered him on the streets of small fishing village. She drove away those who were throwing rocks and mocking him, and it was shortly after that, along their journey to Iron Town, that he revealed his secret to her. Or rather, his art.

The catapult was set up rather awkwardly, at an angle. It wouldn't be of much use against the multitudes battling in the streets below, but that was not the purpose it was intended for. As Gonza began loading one of the explosives onto the catapult and struck a fire stick to get the fuse smoking, Eboshi turned her attention back to Toki and Mae.

"Green shall be the spring until the clouds veil the sky," she said. The two women nodded as one and hurried off, pausing only long enough to gather together the other women on the roof and leave with them. Eboshi felt an incredible fondness for them as they disappeared down a ladder into the forge, leaving her and Gonza alone. No sooner had the last head disappeared from sight than Gonza released the lever of the odd-angled catapult, lobbing the grenade into the sky. A few seconds later, it exploded with a startling, thunderous noise, releasing a shower of green, burning salt that sparkled even against the day-lit sky. Eboshi planted herself at the edge of the roof again and listened and watched as the battle grew quieter for a brief moment as mercenaries and townspeople alike reacted to Master Yun's handicraft. Then the fighting resumed, but it became clear within a few seconds that the citizens of Iron Town were disengaging, running for the western district of town and the markets, or beating away at mercenaries vigorously with a clear sense of direction.

Gonza sidled up to her, the strong currents making his short beard and clothing flutter.

"Now what?" he inquired gruffly.

Eboshi smiled thinly, scanning the emptying streets. Asano's followers were now in pursuit, harassing the slower townspeople and cutting them down in droves. Eboshi bit her lip until she could taste blood, but she made herself watch the slaughter of her people. If she had been just an ordinary woman like them, she would have been down there, too, fighting alongside them, one-armed or not. But she was a leader—their icon. Regardless of whether or not she wanted it, her role was the most important.

"Now we wait," she responded. "Toki and the girls have the stage for this scene." She made her voice as calm and serene as a forest pool, all the while in her mind strategies and the names of those who'd died that day churned so violently that the thoughts were almost enough to drown out the sounds below.

San felt as though her skin was being pricked with a thousand pine needles as she followed Kaya and the two townswomen through the underground tunnel. It was pitch black, and the air felt hot and close. San had only ever felt this way once; when she was still a young cub, she had fallen into a pit in the mountains—an old abandoned bear den. It had not been anywhere near as horrible as this place, though. At least in the bear's hole she could see daylight. She wasn't a rabbit or a mole—every instinct in her cried to get out. The two townswomen, too, mewled like badger pups, constantly asking Kaya how much further it was to safety. Kaya seemed amazingly collected. No doubt she was used to crawling around in places such as this. And indeed, they were crawling. The ceiling was too low to do anything but stoop at best, and the walls pressed in on either side. Sometimes San thought they were really getting narrower, trying to squeeze her to death, despite the fact that the tubby human in front of her was able to wedge through.

"It's not much further, Yukiko," Kaya said in an assuring tone. She reminded San of a mother comforting frightened cubs during a thunderstorm. Even her scent—easier to read now in close quarters—had changed since they last met. It was stronger, and though drenched with fear, determined. A far cry from the two other humans, who smelled strongly of sweat and timidity.

She heard a couple of relieved sighs up ahead and almost let one out herself as the tunnel opened up, becoming wider, and she was able to stand up straight without bumping her head on the ceiling. The air was a little fresher here, too, if not by much.

"Okay, we take the left tunnel now," Kaya said. "We're nearly there. It's only a hundred paces or so."

One of the humans began whimpering softly.

San could hear, but not see. Kaya knew the web of secret tunnels far better than she, obviously, but San still had to ask,

"Does it lead to Eboshi?"

Kaya's own sigh had a touch of exasperation to it.

"If she's still in the forge, then yes." Kaya had explained along the way that the gigantic forge had been taken over as the rebels' headquarters. It was easy to defend and large enough to accommodate most of Iron Town's population in an emergency, if not comfortably. Some of the sick and the lame who were unable to fight would be there, or in other safeguarded locations around and beneath the town. San had to hand it to the humans—with so many tunnels and caches such as these, perhaps they were more animal than she had initially believed.

After a couple more minutes of traversing the network of underground passages, Kaya announced,

"Junko, Yukiko, if you go this way, you'll come out in Sachiko's house. Stay with the others there till someone from the Council comes to get you."

"But Kaya," the woman San heard called Junko objected. "What if fighting breaks out close by? What if Asano's samurai attack us?"

"You'll have to defend yourselves, then," Kaya replied, much more kindly than San would have. "This is a war, Junko. We're all in danger. But we've left some people with guns and swords at all of the safe-houses just in case. If worst comes to worst, run away. Hide. Do whatever you can to stay alive. Hopefully we'll win, and soon this will all be just a bad memory."

San curled her lip at the townswoman's cowardice, but it was too dark to see. The two women seemed to be a little encouraged by Kaya's words, though. Kaya guided them through the pitch black to the mouth of the tunnel they were to follow, warning them about a particularly troublesome rock jutting up out of the ground that was easy to trip over, and bid them farewell and good luck. Then she returned to San. Her voice, which had been commanding, frustrated, and motherly all within the past hour, now sounded simply tired.

"Let's go, San," she said, touching San's elbow to lead her. "This way."

The straight, gently sloping passage that Kaya escorted San through was only wide enough for them to walk through one at a time. Sometimes San's head scraped the belly of the ground beneath her, sprinkling her with grit. Her wolf-trained eyes and ears were keen, but in this tomb her senses were practically useless. She didn't need the sweat streaming down her arms and legs to realize it was getting rather warm, however. Before long, a distant, muted banging could be heard, similar to the tinkling noises San could hear coming from the town when she stood at the edge of the forest..

"We made it," Kaya announced, sounding a little as if she was surprised by the fact. She pounded on something that didn't sound quite like earth but still had a dull resonance to it. A couple seconds later light and air poured into the tunnel. San moved closer, eager to taste fresher air. Kaya climbed up a crude rope ladder and San followed suit. The women who helped her up showed startled expressions when they recognized her, but Kaya waved them off. The hatch closed after them, and San looked around the room they were in, trying to spot the gunwoman. The things she saw collected in the cavern were strange—and no doubt evil—but among the stacks and rows of gleaming metal she did not find Eboshi.

"Eboshi's up above," Kaya informed her after speaking to a man with a bandage around his temples, neck, and arms. He gave off a sickly smell to San, and San made a mental note to keep clear of him and the many others in that chamber giving off the smell. Kaya started walking away, and San had no choice but to follow if she was going to find Eboshi and make her pay for her wicked betrayal. She fingered the heavy bladed knife thrust behind her belt. The hooked pole she'd had to leave outside when she entered the tunnels. She tried to hide her limp from the many sets of curious human eyes tracking her, with a little success, and most just went back to whatever it was they were making.

Another ladder, this one of wood, was set against the far wall in the chamber, between two waist-high piles of heavy metal balls like overly large bullets. Kaya went up first, and San hauled herself up after. Even injured, she could climb faster than Ashitaka's sister, and while she paused to wait for Kaya, San cast dubious glances back at the activities going on below.

"Good to see you're back, Kaya," said a long-faced man with his bushy hair in a topknot. Prickly stubble covered half his face, but he smiled at Kaya like a proud father. The grin disappeared when he laid eyes on San. He didn't even offer San a hand up. Not that she needed it. "Is that…..?" he asked wondrously.

"Yes," Kaya answered briskly. "Where's Lady Eboshi?"

"Up on the roof with Gonza and some of the Council," the man replied, still staring wide-eyed at San—and and her knife—as though he feared she might lash out at him. "You're not taking…..her…..to see the Lady, are you?"

"Yes, I am," Kaya said. That commanding tone was entering her voice again. "She needs to talk to her." Without further explanation, Kaya set off across the floor of the ironworks with San in her wake.

San got many times more stares as she hobbled after Kaya—many times more people were crowding the floor, but they made way for her and Kaya. San had never been inside the ironworks before, though she had been up on the roof in the past on one of her attempts to kill Eboshi. They passed by what looked to San like an enormous…..bucket. She could think of nothing natural in her experience that could describe it. It gave off a blistering heat, though. Rows of women on either side pumped air into the hungry furnaces below it with their muscular legs.

In the corner of the ironworks was a wooden platform. Kaya stepped up onto it and motioned San to do the same.

"I need to get to the top level," Kaya said to a group of men who were standing idly by, sharing drinks out of a bottle and wisely avoiding looking at San. Kaya had to repeat her request—much louder this time—to get them to do what she wanted. San didn't understand at first what that was until the floor beneath her feet rose. She almost sank to all fours to keep her balance. Looking out over the edge of the platform, she saw the men combining their strength to pull thick heavy ropes threaded through a series of wheels large and small. As they ascended, San could also see into that massive bucket—thick, red hot liquid sloshed around inside, giving off clouds of steam and smoke. It sounded like one of the great fire mountains San had heard of from wandering boar tribes but never believed. That must be where all the iron for the humans' guns and swords and tools came from. Much as she disliked humans, San had to admit—if just to herself—that these humans could do some rather amazing things. Perhaps it was the only reason why they hadn't all been starved out or eaten by wild animals ages ago. Kaya didn't act as if anything was out of the ordinary. She merely gazed up towards the roof of the complex until the platform came to a halt.

"Come on," Kaya said, now striding quickly down a wooden walkway to the next nearest corner. This one had no strange rising platform, but it did have a wide iron ladder. Feeling rather like a monkey with all this climbing, San followed Kaya up and nearly gasped at the feel of cool, fresh air washing over her as she emerged behind Kaya onto the roof of the forge. The sun, halfway past its zenith, shone weakly through thick, billowy clouds. Over the roar of the steady breezes in her ears, San could hear sounds of battle carried on those same breezes. But all of that was forgotten as Kaya stepped away, giving San a clear view of the one person in this whole infested nest that she had a burning desire to see.

"Eboshi," San hissed, automatically pulling out her knife. Kaya noticed and acted immediately, blocking her path and spreading out her arms.

"Don't, San!" she said fiercely. "I've brought you here to see Lady Eboshi like I promised, but I can't let you kill her! We need her!"

"What the devil's going on?" came a man's rough voice. A bald-headed human, vaguely familiar to San, approached them, hand on a long, curved sword at his waist. "Kaya, what do you think you're doing, bringing that feral brat up here?"

"We came to talk to Lady Eboshi," Kaya stated calmly, but with an undertone that, in an animal, San would have recognized as growling. Kaya was upset, likely at San for threatening her precious Lady. Kaya surprised San, though, when she continued, "And I think Lady Eboshi should speak with her. They had an agreement, and Lady Eboshi has not kept up her end of it. She has to tell San why." Completely unafraid of the large, thick man, she walked around him, aiming for the woman in dark blue clothing not unlike Kaya's who still had her back to them, as if completely unaware that they were there.

San itched to get her hands on her knife, but Kaya gave her a hard, frowning stare whenever her fingers strayed too close. They approached the tall, willowy woman, and Kaya opened her mouth to get her attention, when Eboshi serenely stated,

"They've just used the smoke bombs, Kaya, in the market. Come and see."

Kaya froze with her mouth still open, but she shut it and did as she was bidden, tip-toeing to the edge of the roof to see the scene below. Resentful of being forgotten, but curious just the same, San joined her. They were looking into the distance. The soldiers and mercenaries serving Asano were charging up the street in a mass—hundreds of them, like a river of red and white. About half a mile away in one of the wide, arrow-straight streets, the direction they were running, billowing clouds of yellowish smoke were beginning to rise over the buildings.

"It's sulfur. The way the wind is blowing, we'll smell it in a few moments," Eboshi said.

"But isn't that…..deadly?" Kaya asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine up here," Eboshi assured her. "It will be too weak by the time it travels this far, but the forerunners of Asano's little gang will not be so lucky. Nor will any of our people who didn't get clear before Toki and the rest set off the bombs. It's only a temporary diversion, anyway."

San scowled, but not because of the sour, alien odor that had begun to waft past her nose.

"You would kill even your own kind," she spat. "If I'd known that before I risked mine to help you, I would have stayed in the forest."

"In war, casualties cannot be avoided," Eboshi replied neutrally. "I am trying to end this conflict with the least loss of life possible."

"For your kind, maybe!" San retorted. "But what about mine? They are just beyond your gates, fighting and dying just to keep Asano's armies from crushing you in a pincer grip! Why did you break your word? I will kill you if your answer doesn't satisfy me!" She likely would kill Eboshi anyway, whatever excuse she made.

"San, please!" Kaya entreated her at the same time the bald man roared,

"You so much as touch the Lady Eboshi, and I'll slice your head clean from your shoulders!" Eboshi just regarded her with cool blue eyes in a nearly expressionless face. She raised her hand slightly, and Kaya and the bald man both looked at her with surprise, but moved aside. San's grip was tightly on the hilt of the heavy bladed knife, ready to whip it out in a flash and plunge it into the gunwoman's breast. Eboshi, in a mild voice like a cool stream of water, replied,

"I agreed to come to your aid in battle, and I failed to do so. The situation here in Iron Town grew out of control, and it has been all I can do to keep my people alive. We are both beyond any help we can give each other, Princess Mononoke, but when this war is over, if we still live, my life will be yours to do with as you please. You may even kill me if that is your desire. I'm sorry if that does not satisfy you, but it is all you will get now."

Kaya and the bald man both gaped at Eboshi as if they thought she was mad. San was so furious that the hand gripping her knife was bone-white and quivering. She could not think of an oath vile enough to attach to the woman, but through the thick blanket of anger she wrapped herself in, a razor sharp ray of truth cut her to the center. Regardless of whether or not she got to snuff out the abominable woman's life, even her blood would not be enough to satisfy the great injustice done. It wouldn't be able to save her people, or bring back those who had perished already in battle. Even Asano's blood wouldn't be able to do that. Not that the truth wouldn't keep San from spilling it. If only death were not final. She'd kill him a thousand times over and more. Maybe that would be enough to atone for his crimes. Maybe it wouldn't.

The burning fury in her stomach triggered another wave of sickness and roiled again, savagely enough to make San double over, gagging on air. Her belly had been empty since that morning—not necessarily because she was more clearheaded or fought better that way, but because she had not been able to keep anything she ate down for the past two days.

"San, what's wrong?" Kaya inquired, crouching at her side. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"I'm fine," San lied, pushing her back and wiping her mouth. She raised her eyes to glower at Eboshi, who appeared unaffected by the mess before her feet. How humiliating, to be displaying her weakness in front of her archenemy like this!

"Maybe we should find some medicine," Kaya continued as though she had not listened at all.

"Princess Mononoke, sick?" Eboshi declared with disbelief—more emotion than she had shown talking about the fallen of her own people. Her eyes narrowed critically. "Not from eating raw meat and living like a wild beast, I'll wager."

"My Lady?" Kaya asked, puzzled.

"Even animals get sick," San said, trying to rise without making her head swim any worse than it already was.

"Maybe it's a worm," Kaya speculated.

"I've been around women long enough to know sickness like this," Eboshi said seriously, not gloating as San expected. "She's with child," she announced to Kaya and the other human. "Ashitaka's, no doubt." San glared at her with loathing, but all of a sudden, the spells of nausea, the missed cycles began to make sense. When had she lain last with Ashitaka? Not long before he set off on his journey. Before she drove him away. A human raised by wolves, she had not know the signs to recognize them. Strangely, the idea that she was carrying a cub of her own seemed more frightening than the awful battle she had been in. Did Ashitaka know? Of course not. How could he? Would she be able to tell him, if he ever returned? Not if she was dead. All it would take was one well-aimed arrow, one bullet, and two lives would vanish in an instant.

Kaya's expression was shocked, and the bald man regarded her as he would some disgusting thing, but Eboshi's tone was as hard as her iron as she said,

"You're in no condition to fight. You're not just pregnant, you're injured as well. It's a wonder you even made it this far."

"I can still fight," San insisted. She had nothing to prove, and nothing short of death itself would keep her from this battle.

Kaya, toying with the baggy sleeves of her shirt, looked concerned.

"Lady Eboshi's right," she agreed. "If you're really….." She blinked as though having trouble digesting the news. "Perhaps you should stay here. Rest a bit."

"I'll be alright," San insisted, annoyed. She turned her eyes to Eboshi and glared at her. "I'll deal with you later." The woman had better stay alive. All San had now to satisfy her vendetta was the woman's life, and there was little she could do to improve the situation. "Just show me the way out of this place."

"No."

Taken aback, San swiveled her head to regard Ashitaka's sister with a displeased grimace.

"What?"

"San," Kaya pleaded quickly, "you really should stay here! You're not in any shape to be fighting! What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to tell Ashitaka when he returns that your—and his child!—are dead? I just can't do that!"

"Your faith in me is encouraging," San replied dryly. Her hand fell ostentatiously on the dagger at her side. "Do I have to fight to get out of this place?"

The support in Kaya's shoulders gave out and she sagged, a narrow frown on her face that reminded San of a wolf cub who wanted to eat meat but had to settle for mother's milk still.

"Please." For one begging, she made it sound forceful. "Just for a little while. At least let us have a look at your leg."

San clenched her teeth and took a deep breath, never breaking eye contact with the girl. After a long stretch, silent except for the gales and battle beginning to abate below, she opened her mouth and reluctantly answered,

"Fine. But only until the next light."

An invisible weight seemed lifted off of Kaya, and she broke into a pacified smile. She even surprised San by throwing her arms around her in a hug that made San's wild instincts extremely edgy. Carefully prying herself out of the girl's grip, she stood there impatiently. She looked past Kaya to see Eboshi looking down on the battle once more. Gonza did not trust her enough to stop watching, however. San didn't blame him.

"Hmph. Well, if you're going to take care of my leg, you might as well do so," San told Kaya firmly. Kaya nodded and started for the door to the roof with an eager light in her young blue eyes. San supposed she could use a rest. She was famished, and bone-weary at that from fighting and bleeding. She couldn't help feeling guilty, though, as she descended back down into the hot, smothering atmosphere of the forge. Who would relieve her people? Who would let them rest? Maybe the only rest that could come for them…..was death.

Kaya practically flew over the railed walkways that stretched throughout the forge like threads of a spider's web and could hardly contain her impatience as she waited for the workers down below to lower the lift. When her soft leather shoes touched the hard-packed earthen floor again, she was off, earning a few puzzled looks from resistance members and forge women who were still hard at work keeping the smelting processes going. It took a few minutes of rifling through one of the storage closets along the wall to find an empty wooden bucket. She carried it and some clean bandages from a medical supply chest in the women's rest area. As she went to fill the bucket with some of the fresh, clean water pumped regularly into the slack tubs, she saw Toki and Mae, another fellow Council member, hurrying to the lifts, no doubt going to report to Lady Eboshi on the progress of their counter-maneuvers. The poison gas, easily harnessed in a mining town, had been a brilliant stroke, and easy to carry out. All the women had to do was light the fuses, and the explosion would release the compound into the air, creating a thick, lethal cloud. Kaya was glad to see they'd come back safely.

She passed by one of the knots of men and women wielding guns, swords, knives—anything they could get their hands on that could be used as a weapon—who stood guard at one of the several entrances to the forge. A few had their concentration unwaveringly on the doors, from which a rhythmic pounding sometimes sounded as the mercenaries outside attempted to break them down. Most of the sentinels, though, stood around easily, chatting or looking bored. Kaya doubted she herself could ever be so nonchalant in such a situation. The iron that made those doors was strong, but not invincible. How much longer would the resistance be able to hold out here? If they lost the forge, then defeat was imminent.

She tried not to entertain such troubled thoughts as she filled her bucket at the pump next to the long, rectangular baths. The steam rising from them made sweat ooze out from every pore on her body, but she resisted the urge to wipe her brow. She carried the water and bandages over to the lift and ascended up to the top level. There was very little space to accommodate the citizens of Iron Town comfortably. Pallets for the wounded were laid out wherever they would not interrupt the functions of the forge. San had to share a section of narrow walkway with another woman who was unconscious and bleeding from her head and two men who plainly wanted to keep as much distance as they could from the young woman marked with blood darker than the red tattoos adorning her face. Kaya had to order them not to try attacking San. All the same, they eyed each other like unfamiliar cats. Kaya could only roll her eyes and sigh.

For some time after washing and re-bandaging the wild woman's leg, Kaya set about helping the other injured and brought food and water to those who couldn't move to get it themselves. Before long, she felt more than just a little tired, and parched, as if the heat of the forge had wrung every drop out of moisture out of her. Every swig of cool water seemed to turn into sweat immediately after splashing down her throat.

Straightening from helping to set and bind older woman's broken arm, Kaya massaged the small of her back and peered down the long walkway littered with wounded. A pair of her fellow helpers was hoisting a stout man's limp body off of the blanket he'd been occupying. The way his limbs swayed limply to and fro, Kaya judged him to have died just recently. Within minutes, another injured townsperson took over his spot. Looking a little further down the row, she saw San sitting up, trying to glare in all directions at the same time, hand on her knife as if she was thinking about using. Perhaps Kaya shouldn't have let her keep it, though trying to relieve her of it would have started a miniature battle itself.

Kaya didn't realize she was sighing until she needed to fill her lungs again. She picked up a bucket filled with splints and bandages and proceeded to the lift. For a moment she was tempted to return to the roof—Lady Eboshi had not been seen for hours, and only her runners brought down any instructions now—a few minutes out in the air would feel refreshing, if nothing else. Picking up the small mallet tethered to one of the lift's corner beams, she struck it multiple times, signally her desire. There was a brief jerk as the men below hauled on the ropes, and she began to ascend smoothly to the top level.

Before she even stepped off the platform, the sound of explosions erupted, somewhat muted but still easily discernible even over the clamor of the forge's operations. The thunderous noise caused everyone within the forge to whip his or her head around, wide, astonished eyes trying to locate the source. The lift jerked a little. The chain of explosions continued, and it seemed that the forge was surrounded by them. Kaya continued to the hatch to the roof, leaving the bucket and other medical supplies behind on the walkway.

The wind was still steady, whipping hair and clothes and anything loose the moment she stepped out onto the flat, rectangular roof capping the pyramid. There were more men and women up here now than before, though the men were outnumbered, unsurprisingly. These people stood in a line around the edge of the roof, each of them in pairs manning a small makeshift catapult like the one Gonza had used to hurl fireworks into the sky. These people were doing something similar—loading blocks of cement the size of a human head with lit, smoking fuses trailing out of them and then releasing them. One person lit the fuse while the other loaded it onto the catapult and pulled the lever. Kaya watched the gunpowder-loaded projectiles arc through the air and then plummet down below, though she lost sight of them once they descended past the roof. But assuredly, a few seconds later, piercing booms could be heard over the rush of the wind. The men and women at the catapults hardly paused in the almost dance-like rhythm of reloading from the piles of unlit bombs by their machines and releasing.

"You'd think they'd call off the attack by now," Eboshi said to her once Kaya joined her at her side. Even Gonza was at work firing grenades into the crowds below. "Even mercenaries will only push so hard. Their gold is of no use to them if they are dead."

Kaya had nothing to say, but she pursed her lips all the same and looked out on the spectacle below. The red-and-white coated men below reminded her of ants swarming around a particle of dropped food. Wherever the bombs hit, detonating like perfect clockwork, the mass was disturbed. After the rising puffs of blue-gray smoke dissolved, she could see the motionless parts of the mass soon crowded by the soldiers who were still alive, trying to press closer to the forge. When she filtered out the sounds of the explosions and faint shouting, she could hear the slow, even tones of the battering rams hammering tirelessly at the doors.

As if reading her thoughts, Eboshi told her calmly, "They won't break into the forge any time soon, but hopefully a barrage of grenades will dissuade them from trying. If that doesn't work, well, we could always pour molten iron on them, but I'd rather not have to unless it becomes absolutely necessary. I hate to waste any more of my iron on Asano and these infidels."

"Do you really mean to give San your life?" The question followed as soon as Eboshi fell silent. "Or were you only saying that to get rid of her for the time being?"

Eboshi turned her head ever so slightly to study Kaya with a long, considering look.

"I'll do what I have to, to win this war," she responded, leaving Kaya even more unsure of what the woman's actual intentions were.

No less than five or six minutes later, Kaya saw the mercenaries beginning to move away from the sides of the forge, abandoning their battering rams and falling back. She couldn't make out any of the prolonged shouts that floated up to the top of the forge, but she guessed it was an order to retreat. The crowd of red and white began to disperse, teeming through the streets and into the alleys to escape the deadly hail. Soon, the only mercenaries that were left at the forge were those who had been killed by the grenades or trampled to death during the frenzy. There were dozens of those, but compared to those who still remained alive in the town as well as outside its walls, hardly a dent in Asano's numbers. Kaya looked to the west, where Lady Eboshi's house sat on the hill over looking the town. The sun was a burnished golden ball poised over the horizon. Was Asano somewhere inside that house, enjoying his comforts while both his and her people died needlessly in this bloody battle? The idea was not encouraging.

"I wonder how long this will last," Kaya spoke aloud.

"I wouldn't count on a good night's sleep," Eboshi replied with a satisfied smile as her eyes followed the last mercenaries' movements. "This lull will only be temporary. Then they will be back, and they'll hit us even harder." Her silk clothing rippled as she turned and strode away from the edge of the roof, Kaya trailing on her heels. She called over to Gonza, who was loading another grenade into his catapult while a forge woman struck a fire stick to light the fuse.

"We're done for now," Eboshi announced. "Call off the attack." Then she was off again, heading for the doorway that led below. Kaya saw Gonza's lined face screw up with irritation—he seemed to have been enjoying himself—but he followed his Lady's order immediately and began bellowing loud enough for all to hear once Eboshi and Kaya passed.

"All right, that's enough! Cease fire! Cease fire!"

Back in the forge—the warmth was almost welcome after having her damp, sweating body chilled by the wind above; the feeling would not last long, Kaya knew—Eboshi swept over the walkway and boarded the lift. She did not seem to mind Kaya following her. Eboshi glanced at the wounded lining the walkways and every other available space, but her expression was as smooth as Chinese porcelain.

She stopped to speak to a pair of women who were each armed with an older model of rifle, standing guard with a cluster of others in front of one of the forge's six massive iron doors.

"Send down to the lepers and have them begin distributing the guns," Eboshi said. The two women nodded and scurried off with alacrity. Before long, two other forge women in sweat-sodden cotton shirts took their places, bearing long halberds with curved blades. Kaya looked at Eboshi curiously and trailed after her as she glided serenely through the forge. It was a marvel that the woman didn't appear to have a bead of perspiration on her, as though she could ignore the oppressive heat. Kaya was somewhat envious of the fact; her own clothes stuck to her body uncomfortably, and she badly wanted a drink again.

"What about the cannons?" she asked. There had to be half a dozen of them or so down in the Lair. "Are those to be brought up, too?"

"No," Eboshi responded. "They're being hauled through the tunnels to various locations around the town. Mae's overseeing the transfer now."

Kaya frowned. Cannons that heavy would have to be hauled on wheeled platforms through the uneven tunnels, and even with six or eight men on the ropes, pulling such heavy things in the stifling darkness would be arduous at the very least. Secretly, she was grateful she had not been assigned to it!

"You might as well go take a rest, Kaya, or get something to eat," Lady Eboshi suggested. "Or keep Princess Mononoke in line before she starts biting off heads. You won't learn much more about running a town—or a war—from me, tonight."

Kaya almost tripped, but she did blush, her face growing hotter than it already felt. That hadn't been the reason she'd been shadowing Lady Eboshi…..was it? She just thought she might be of use, somehow. She didn't feel that tired. Well, not very tired, at least.

"Um, yes, my Lady," she said meekly. Eboshi walked away—a lioness traversing a field—leaving Kaya standing amidst the noise of hissing steam, roaring fires, and the huffing bellows.

She was feeling a bit sulky as she scaled up the series of tall ladders to the floor where San's pallet lay. She didn't want to burden the lift men when she had no useful business to be about. She was less than surprised to find San's blankets empty. She had only to follow people's gaping stares to find San sitting—squatting more like—on the railing of a walkway that was suspended high over the boiling, red-hot hearth, watching the ever moving line of women wheeling carts of ore and dumping it into the molten brew. San balanced on the arches of her soft leather shoes easily, but the sight still made Kaya's heart leap into her throat.

"San! What do you think you're doing!" she cried frantically, fighting down the impulse to rush over there and pull the woman down. A slight slip and Ashitaka's love could fall to an agonizing, fiery death! San straightened her legs—as if she wasn't injured at all!—and stood there like she was on solid ground, not poised over an enormous pool of molten iron! She may not act like it was a big deal, but Kaya nearly fainted.

"I was only looking," San replied defensively, hopping down lightly. She winced a little when her weight rested on her wounded leg. She glanced over her shoulder at the smelter. "Is this what Asano wants? The melted metal?"

"Uh…..yes," Kaya said. San snorted contemptuously, and Kaya said,

"It's our livelihood. Iron Town can't survive without it."

San still didn't look impressed. Kaya wasn't really sure what point it was she was trying to prove, but all thought of the discussion were dashed when she looked down and spotted a skirmish developing on the ground level of the forge.

"What's going on?" she wondered aloud. San was peering down, too, her blue eyes set in a face that may as well have been carved in stone for all it gave away. Several townspeople were crowding around the doors, and some of them were scuffling. Others ran to join in—some to watch, some to exchange blows—but the women operating the forge could only crane their necks and talk animatedly amongst themselves while they kept the iron processes going.

"A fight," San said flatly, stating the obvious.

"Yes," Kaya agreed, "but why?" Her hand trailed along the railing as she hurried down the suspended walkways and down the ladders, as fast as any of the forge women. Others were following suit, or already ahead of her, eager to get a closer look or even join in. The brawl was becoming a little louder, and by the time Kaya's foot touched the bottom rung, she heard the groaning of the iron doors as they parted. She stood on her toes, though it didn't really aid her view, but more than one gasp mirrored hers from among the people within in the forge. She couldn't tell, but she thought people were running outside into the streets, even while others continued to kick and punch at each other.

San landed beside Kaya a moment later, staggering a little, and Kaya caught a glimpse of a short sword flashing in the woman's hand. Did she expect to join the fray? Others of the rebels and workers in the forge crowded around, trying to pull anyone who was fighting apart, with little success. It wasn't until Lady Eboshi appeared with an escort of three young-looking women, all but she carrying the new rifles, that the hubbub began to die down as her mere presence drew everyone's attention. Eboshi's face looked a thunderhead, and Kaya, followed by a more reluctant San, slowed, not willing to fall under those commanding, steely eyes.

Eboshi's gaze swept over the people gathered there and settled on the parted double doors. Through thin lips, she ordered curtly,

"Get those doors closed. Now." The effect would have been the same if she had screamed. In the blink of an eye, half a dozen men and women scurried to the dented, sturdy doors and heaved together, pulling them shut. There was a deep, echoing thud as the heavy iron crossbars fell into place. Kaya had only caught a brief glimpse of the street, and she was glad it was cut off; in the dim twilight she could see bodies out there, abandoned by their comrades and left to rot.

Eboshi's tone sounded satisfied, but her expression still looked like lightning might strike out at anyone who so much as squeaked.

"Now," she continued, "I want to know what happened."

Anyone caught in her direct line of sight flinched, men and women alike, but after a moment, a forge woman with her hair caught up and tied with rags spoke. She was strong, and Kaya didn't need to see her bulging muscles below her rolled-up sleeves to tell. The man she had in a headlock was larger than she, but he waved his arms wildly trying to get free. A handful of snickers could be heard as those who turned to listen to the woman chortled at her prey. The woman let go of him the next moment and gave him a swift kick to the bottom to send him on his way. He scowled at her, red with humiliation, and tried to lose himself in the crowd. Lady Eboshi did not even look at him. Kaya detected a hint of wearing patience from her.

"Um, you see," said the woman, "I'm not sure on the details, but I saw what happened. A bunch of us, led by a guy with a topknot and a sword, tried to break out of the forge. The guards holding the door wouldn't let 'em, and a fight broke out."

"They said they were going to hunt down the mercenaries!" another, much older older woman's voice rang out. "Hit them while they're weak!"

"We tried to stop them, my Lady," said a man. Kaya could just barely see his face over the heads in the crowd, "but there were at least two dozen of them, and they wouldn't take no for an answer, and that's when the trouble started."

Kaya's eyes flew to Eboshi's face, but the woman's expression remained unchanged. After a few moments of contemplation, Eboshi announced in a loud, clear voice,

"I want those doors kept shut. All of you, back to your duties."

With that she turned her back on them and strode away with her companions. Before she took more than two steps, though, she paused and turned to Kaya and San.

"Kaya, I'm sorry to have to impose on your time a while longer, but I need you and the rest of the Council in the Leper's Lair as soon as possible." Her lips quirked in almost a smile for a moment as she regarded San. "I suppose you may come as well, if it pleases you, Princess Mononoke."

Out of her peripheral vision Kaya could see San glowering darkly at the woman, and she suppressed the urge to sigh. Eboshi left straightway, and Kaya fell in behind her, as did a bright eyed, usually cheerful woman named Masuri, Emi and Yohko, who were both guarding the doors where the fighting had started, and another, older woman Kaya barely knew named Yasuko, who had to find someone to take her place at the bellows before joining Eboshi's entourage. San hung behind for a moment, with a look on her face that on anyone else Kaya would have called sulky. Maybe she didn't like the idea of being left on her own among so many strangers; after hesitating as long as it seemed she could without having to run to catch up, she fell in alongside Kaya, masking her limp as best as she could. Kaya tried talking to her, but the princess's jaw might as well have been a closed bear trap.

It didn't seem possible that it could be hotter down in the Leper's Lair than on the main floor of the forge, but somehow, it was. The bellows constantly pumping in air from the forge through pipes into the cavern did little to take away the sweltering heat, or to alleviate, for Kaya, the feeling of suffocating. San looked just as uncomfortable as she, staring suspiciously at the lepers and forge workers carrying finished rifles or baskets of iron bullets on their backs as they ascended the ladder to the main floor. Though there weren't so many weapons piled around now, the gathering of the Council in addition to the other bodies in the Lair made Kaya's claustrophobia rise up again, but she impatiently stamped it down, taking slow, deep breaths.

Eboshi wasted no time delivering her instructions, even though not all of the Council was present yet. Kaya wasn't sure how the news of some of the resistance members escaping would change their plans, but Eboshi seemed to have already accounted for it.

"I need everyone on the Council to take a squad of a dozen and post herself near the entrances to all of the tunnels that lead to the forge or to any of the storehouses. Our mercenary friends may have withdrawn from our walls, but they've begun to catch onto our clever schemes. We've already had to collapse four tunnels, and we've lost one of our supply caches to them as well. It's up to you to make sure they don't proceed any further. Hold positions in the tunnels and cache rooms and change out with another squad in thirty minute intervals. I know what I'm asking is difficult, but I know you all have the courage to handle the task, or I wouldn't ask."

Kaya felt a shudder run through her body at Lady Eboshi's order. She wasn't the only one to notice another member of the Council, pale, slender Ayame, weeping silently. She wasn't the only woman shifting edgily, either. No one looked forward to the prospect of going down into those tight, nearly airless pits.

"If you encounter any of the enemy, fight them, but do not collapse the tunnels unless absolutely necessary," Eboshi said, and reminded them, "they're our only escape route short of open battle."

A shy, tan-skinned woman somewhere in her thirties raised her hand for permission to speak, and Eboshi nodded to her.

"My Lady, what about those people who left? It's dangerous out there. What if they need to get back in?"

When Eboshi replied finally, after a long moment of pursing her ruby red lips, it was to say,

"They should have thought of that before they did something so rash. I'm surprised that even members of this Council would go in for something so hot-headed." She shook her head. "Only Council members know the locations of all the tunnel entrances. They could betray them to Asano's forces. There's nothing we can do about that now, however. If they return, admit them, but not at the risk of losing ground against any of Asano's who may be hard on their heels."

Several heads hung solemnly at this pronouncement, but a steady chorus of "Yes, my Lady" rustled over the din of hammering and sawing. Eboshi studied them all with eyes that may have seemed consoling had they not belonged more properly on an eagle. Or perhaps a general.

"Good," she said. "Form your squads, and send a runner to report every quarter of an hour. Dismissed."

The meeting slowly broke up as Councilwomen talked amongst themselves in low voices, moving back up the ladder to the forge to select townspeople to accompany them underground. One of them put an arm around the crying woman to comfort her and lead her away. Every face was grim. Kaya and San lingered behind while they waited for the crowd ascending the ladder to disperse a little.

"So now what do we do?" San inquired in a tone as flat as her expression.

"I don't know about you," Kaya answered, "but I'm going to do what Lady Eboshi has asked. I admit I'm not thrilled about the idea, but….."

San glanced at her sideways, as though evaluating her. What she was evaluating, Kaya had no clue, but to her amazement, the woman grinned. Kaya asked her why, but San reverted back to being that bear trap, with a slight shake of the head that Kaya took to be amusement. What San could possibly be amused about Kaya didn't know.

"Well, I guess I should go and find some people as well." That wouldn't be terribly easy, given their destination, but she supposed she could always order people to assist her. If they took her seriously enough to obey. Eboshi really expected her to follow in her footsteps? Kaya seriously hoped that both Lady Eboshi and Toki made it through this nightmare alive and well. "What about you?" she asked of San.

The wolf princess stood there for a moment, thinking. Pregnant, and injured to boot, what she really ought to be doing was resting, but Kaya could have answered for her as soon as the question left her mouth.

"I'll go with you." San rubbed at her arms like she was cold. "I can't stand it in this place. Too many humans."

Kaya had to chuckle softly at that. In truth, she was glad San was willing to accompany her. Maybe those dark, hellish tunnels wouldn't be so bad, with her there.

Author's Note: Yeah, sorry about the goofs in the last chapter. There were a few. That's what happens when you try to write fan fiction during finals. It's not pretty. The errors have been fixed, thanks to those who pointed them out. This chapter took a long time to get out because I was finishing up the final chapter of another fic I've been doing, and it was a LONG chapter. And my computer contracted a virus (oh, joy) and has spent a couple of weeks in the shop being worked on, so I can only write when I have a few free minutes at work. Comp's all fixed now, though, so things should go a little more smoothly. Well, the end is in sight, finally. I predict one, maybe two more chapters. Heh, but then, I've been saying that for a while. The end really is near, believe me. Some of you, like me are probably relieved. Until next time, then. Ja mata.


	28. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 27

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Chapter Twenty-seven

Eyes tearing and lungs heaving, San coughed into her hand as the dirt and dust began to settle to the floor of the tunnel. Instead of gunshots and screams of men dying, the air was now filled with the sound of wheezing coming from the townspeople in the dark chamber with her. The crush of earth that now blocked this particular section of narrow tunnel now cut off the mercenaries from advancing any further. But the resistance was losing ground, and too quickly. Already three more tunnels were lost, and one more cavern storing food, water, and weaponry.

Kaya let go of the limp rope that, when pulled, triggered the collapse of the roof in a shower of dirt, rocks, and wood. She found San's arm and nudged her away from the mess.

"Come on. Let's go."

San did not question her. Not this time. Though she loathed retreat, these mole runs were no place for a battle. In less than an hour, more than half of the people assigned to Kaya to help protect Iron Town's escape routes were killed—five in skirmishes within the cramped, close spaces, and two others when a collapsing tunnel gave way further than it should, having been improperly fortified. They almost all died in that accident. San recalled the paralyzing moment of fear at being buried, albeit not deeply, at scrabbling for air beneath the dirt and rocks. For the most part, the survivors were still in one piece, but not a single one of them, even Kaya, had escaped unscathed. San's tattooed face now bore another mark—a long slice on her cheek from her temple to her chin as well as a stab wound in her right shoulder that was bleeding profusely. That she gained in the previous battle. Kaya's walk was uneven, almost lilting, because of a spear wound that took her in the hip. She would live though, though San didn't think she'd ever be able to walk normally or without pain ever again. Their companions were faring about as well, many with gashes or gouges. A bullet from a mercenary's rifle took the hand of one forge woman, who now had just a makeshift, blood-soaked bandage in place of it.

The corridor widened into a cavern—one of the larger ones along the underground web. A dim lantern left burning on a box gave off a soft, inviting light. The townspeople piled into the hollowed-out space and sat down eagerly to rest. Kaya was scowling as she reached for the lantern.

"Who left this down here? It's a wonder all the air's not gone," she said.

"Leave it," said a twig-thin man with wispy mustaches on his chin. "It's comforting to have a bit of light for a change."

San agreed with him. She hated the oppressive darkness, without even moon or stars to guide the way. The other women there nodded as well, gazing at the lamp like it was a treasure.

"At this rate, we'll be totally overrun by daybreak," the man spoke up after a quiet, pensive moment of basking in the soothing lamplight. "Not that it matters. It won't be long until Asano's thugs break down the doors to the forge. When that happens, this whole resistance done for."

Let's face it," a woman with her hair hanging loose and disheveled chimed in. "The situation's hopeless. If we ever get back above ground alive, we'll be shot or cut down like animals at slaughter time not long after." The other women except for one all made despairing noises and started talking about how they'd rather stay alive, even if it meant having to live like a slave under Asano's thumb.

Kaya's lips thinned at their remarks. Somehow that expression made San think of Eboshi. San rolled her own injured shoulder tentatively and was rewarded with a sharp, searing pain. Good. It was that pain that reminded her she was still alive. While she was alive, she could still fight. Kaya overrode all of them in a quiet but unyielding tone as she laboriously stood, wincing at her hip.

"Stop it. I won't hear any more of that kind of talk. We are men and women of Iron Town. We're made of stronger stuff than even the iron beneath us! Whatever happens, we'll keep on fighting! Until I see Lady Eboshi kneeling to kiss Asano's boots, I won't put up with another word about giving up! Do you all understand?"

Shamefacedly, the men and women sheltering in that tiny little storage room lit by the one lamp all murmured, "Yes." Except for San. She had her own affairs to look after. Those who earlier objected wouldn't meet Kaya's gaze. San almost felt like smiling. Kaya rather reminded her of her mother just then, whenever her brothers would quarrel. After a scolding from her, they'd both hide their tails between their legs for days afterward. Thinking of them brought San back to that heartbreaking reality, though. She pushed all thoughts of wolves' tails away and shifted her weight to make her leg a little more comfortable.

"Now then," Kaya continued once she saw there would be no further grumbling, "it's about time to send a messenger back to the forge. Rei, you're injured too badly to use that gun anymore. Give it to Yurizen and report back to Lady Eboshi of our status, see if she has any other orders for us. Oh, and see if you can bring some replacements down for our squad as well." At the woman's forlorn expression, mirrored by just about every other person there, Kaya added, "I know. We've lost a lot of friends today. We'll have time to mourn later, though, when this is all over and we have our town back."

San added, "And if we all die, then it won't matter anyway. The dead can't mourn the dead." Kaya gave her a reproachful look, which San shrugged off. It was the cold, hard truth. There was no one left living to howl the loss of her. Except, perhaps, for Ashitaka, and he could very well be dead himself.

"Alright," Kaya said, shuffling over to pry off the lid of a long, wooden box. "We had better reload. Everyone take a drink as well. Who knows if we'll have another chance for a while?"

They all complied, even San. Down underground was nearly as hot as within the forge. When one townsman handed San the ladle dipped in the squat, fat barrel, he almost dumped it on her, frowning at her contemptuously as if their miserable situation was somehow her fault before turning away to trade in his sword for a pair of shorter, more useful daggers. Fighting in such close quarters called for a different sort of strategy. At any rate, San was too tired from this day to care about a human's rudeness.

Night had set in some time ago, though underground she had nothing but the weary sense in her bones to be able to tell. She longed to see the sky again. She was a daughter of wolves, not of moles. The woman named Rei handed her rifle over to the man with the mustaches and started for the door. She had almost faded from the lamp's dim reach when the sound of a gun going off ripped through the tunnel. Rei staggered and dropped in a heap with a deer-like cry then was still.

"Get down!" Kaya hissed, herself diving behind the long wooden box half full of rifles and other assorted armaments. The man Yurizen joined her, pulling out a short, red-tipped stick and a flat stone from his pocket, ready to strike them together. He pointed the end of his rifle into the dark tunnel. Another light, pale at first, but brightening steadily, began to fill the narrow corridor.

"It's a red-robe!" Yurizen hissed. "They must have come through the third junction!" San, crouching with some difficulty behind the water barrel, clapped her hands over her ears a split second too late as his rifle went off with a painfully loud bang. Before the ringing in her ears faded, however, she heard shouts outside the cavern.

"Oh great," a woman with them lamented. "Just give us away so they can murder us, why don't you?"

"We've already been seen," Kaya overrode her. She began doling out orders immediately as more gunfire sounded outside. From San's view, she could see the brief flashes of the rifles for just an instant before the large iron bullets began whizzing by, biting into sacks of rice and spilling it, shattering glass jars and bottles and spraying them with the shards, or ricocheting off the earthen walls. A chunk of the barrel San was sheltering behind was suddenly blasted away, just a hair's breadth away from her nose. Water leaked out over the dirt floor with a glugging sound.

"Return fire!" Kaya shouted. Then, to the others, "Tomo! There's an exit near you, behind those beans! Throw the sacks towards the entrance. Everybody else, block it with whatever we've got! Yurizen, Aya! Keep firing! Hurry, everyone! We haven't got a lot of time!"

Kaya began throwing her weight behind the large box, pushing it along the floor closer to the entrance of the storage room while continuing to crouch behind it. San began digging the balls of her feet into the wet ground and sliding the still leaking barrel in the same direction. It wasn't easy, trying to stay low and keep moving at the same time. The man who had scowled at her earlier ducked down to help her push the barrel up onto the box. A bullet tore through the wood that very moment, showering them with wood chips. Sacks of beans as large as a child were tossed down onto the pile as well.

"We're ready, my Lady!" Tomo cried. She was standing beside a narrow gap in the wall that didn't look any wider than what a man might pass through shuffling sideways. San wasn't exactly relishing the thought of going through these abominable passages again, but a few more minutes of discomfort was better than a likely death. Part of her itched to go out and face the mercenaries, however outmatched she was.

"Alright. Head out. Turn left at the first intersection. Come on, people! Get moving!" Yurizen, lighting the fuse again to fire off a freshly loaded bullet, peeked out over the barricade long enough to take aim at the light at the other end of the tunnel, shoot, and throw himself back down. "Enough, Yurizen!" Kaya told him. He made as if to join the others in their escape, but Kaya clapped a hand down on his sleeve. "Wait! Give me a hand with this." She scuttered along the floor, keeping low, and seized a large jar of thick glass that contained a clear liquid from a collection of similar containers. San watched curiously as she began inching her way to the escape tunnel. Yurizen, who seemed to understand, copied Kaya, creeping along the dirt floor to pick up the jars of glass and smash them across the barricade. They broke with audible crashes—loud over the absence of gunfire.

"Hurry!" Kaya urged him, whispering now. "I hardly think we killed them all!" As if to confirm her words, a gun fired, tear a hole through the wooden crate and rupturing a sack of flour against the back wall. They threw a few more jars over the barricade, then Kaya hastily grabbed the lamp sitting atop a square crate along the wall. "Move out!" she said, giving Yurizen a push to get going. She shot a worried look at San, too, who lingered outside the entrance of the narrow tunnel. All of the others were gone already except them. Kaya threw the lamp against the barricade as well, and the dim light suddenly became nearly as bright as midday as red and orange flames flared up from it.

"It won't last long down here!" Kaya cried. "Hurry up!" She pushed herself up and limped over towards San. Yurizen squeezed himself into the tunnel and disappeared into the blackness. As soon as Ashitaka's sister was within arm's reach, San grabbed her hand and hauled her through with her, as the flames enveloping the barricade began to spread.

Several paces down the corridor, Kaya took back her hand and began feeling around blindly for something. San, who couldn't see too well, heard her grunt with exertion and then the rustling sound of a cave-in—soft and rustling at first, and then an avalanche as well over a ton of dirt collapsed to fill the corridor. She jumped back involuntarily. They were already moving before the roof of the tunnel finished falling.

They met up with the remainder of the group at the intersection Kaya previously described. Moving into the taller, wider corridor, San paced uneasily, despite the pangs in her leg.

"One of us still needs to report to Lady Eboshi. Aya, I'd like you to—"

San whipped her head around. "I hear footsteps."

Silence answered her, weighted with doubt. Only Kaya seemed to have any faith in her at all.

"Ours, or theirs?" she asked in a whisper. She at least believed in San's keen, wolf-trained hearing.

"Their footfalls are heavy. Probably theirs." San quietly pulled her dagger out of her belt, holding it at the ready. Soft voices echoed faintly throughout the pitch-black tunnel.

"I'm telling you, I could swear I heard voices." A man's voice, fairly young, by the sound of it.

"You're just imagining it," a second spoke up in hushed tones. "Man, this place gives me the creeps. I can't see a thing!"

"Maybe," his companion replied. Their voices were growing steadily louder as they drew near. San noticed her companions slowing their breathing down to long, drawn-out breaths so as not to be heard. San had years of practice hunting in the forest. She could be silent as death if she wanted, practically invisible, even with her leg as it was.

"Kaya….." one of the women uttered, in a terrified moan. San couldn't see well, but she thought the noise of a hand slapping skin meant Kaya had clapped the woman's mouth shut.

"What if there are rebels down here?" the first man said, loud enough to hear without even straining. Whoever these men were, they were either very confident, or very stupid. "We shouldn't even be here. What if Lord Asano finds out we're shirking our duties?"

"I just wanna see where this thing goes," his companion muttered back impatiently. "Besides, no one's gonna even notice we're missing. We can be back guarding Lord stinking Asano's wine cellar before the fat oaf even realizes he's thirsty."

"C'mon, Ryuu, let's go back already," the younger man pleaded. San waited in the darkness, fingering the sharp edge of her knife waiting for the two men to draw close enough for her to slit their throats. She could hear fingers shifting on blades and rifles behind her. Just a few steps closer, and—

"Fine, we'll go back." There was a scuffling sound as the men's boots turned about. "You're such a coward. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I have to admit I don't have much of one. That's why I specifically requested guard duty inside the manor."

"Oh, please."

The boot steps diminished, and Kaya and the rest gradually eased up their grips on their weapons. One of the men—San couldn't tell who—let out a relieved sigh.

San continued staring off blindly in the direction the fading footsteps were going. She didn't know who were the luckier ones—the mercenaries, or they.

"That was close," Kaya said in barely more than a whisper. "All right, listen up, everyone. We're going to retreat to the west bank tunnel and check on the other caches. Aya, report to Lady Eboshi and then catch up with us there. Make sure no one sees you. Actually, just to be sure...Yurizen, I want you to go with her in case she runs into trouble."

"But my Lady!" Yurizen protested.

"Please don't argue with me," Kaya said wearily. "Just do as I say. Tomo, I want you to take the rear. San? Up here with me. San?"

Her words were barely audible echoing through the tunnel as San slipped off in pursuit of the two mercenaries. Kaya might be annoyed with her for abandoning them, but San had her own priorities to look after. And fate had presented her with a marvelous opportunity that she wasn't about to pass up. Besides, Kaya wasn't a child anymore. She could take care of herself.

Silent as death, San slunk along the tunnels, ears pricked like a hunting wolf, following the tantalizing sound of heavy footsteps making their way through the tunnel.

Lady Eboshi hardly blinked, but Gonza and Toki, both with her in the steaming hot Lepers Lair, exclaimed, "What!" in unison as a panting, sweaty-faced Yohko related what she'd seen.

"It's true. Our lookouts spotted it just a few minutes ago. Even as dark as it is, you can see it in the moonlight from the roof."

Gonza and Toki, wide-eyed, began hammering the young woman with their questions, each competing to solicit her attention.

"When?"

"Where?"

"How did they—?"

"Let's have a look," Eboshi interrupted them nonchalantly. "I could use a breath of fresh air." She began striding away, and the three of them, having no other choice, fell in close behind. Before Toki and Gonza could begin harrying the sentry again, Eboshi began asking questions of her own.

"What direction are they coming from?" she inquired as she pulled herself up the ladder one-handed to the main area of the forge. The heat didn't feel quite so oppressive now, but still rather noticeable.

"North, but veering east," Yohko called up. "They probably saw the battle out on the field and decided to try going around." They emerged in the storage room and crossed the cleared floor out into the main area.

"A wise decision," Eboshi replied. She wasn't hurrying, but it seemed like the others had to trot to keep up with her. Several men and women of the town greeted her with smiles or short bows as they worked at various tasks around the forge. They approached the lift, and the haulers hastily dropped their ladles into the water barrel and went to the ropes with alacrity. Eboshi and her retinue boarded, and within moments they were smoothly ascending towards the high ceiling.

"If we've seen it, I'm willing to bet Asano has, too. Or his men, at least. They'll be just as eager to see those wagons return as we are."

"They were hurrying awfully fast, as if they knew the situation here was getting desperate."

"We can't let Asano get any of those supplies," Toki said in short, clipped tones.

"Perhaps we should," Gonza said thoughtfully. "The mercenaries aren't starved to death yet, but food and liquor have been in short supply the past few days. Asano's numbers are too many to sustain here. I heard a lot of discontent in the ranks. The siege has hit them pretty hard."

"We're not doing so well ourselves," Toki muttered. If we keep losing our underground caches, we won't be any better off than they before long. As it is, we only have enough food to see us through for another day or so, and that's tight rations at that."

"Maybe we should leave the town and start scouring the forest," Yohko suggested half-heartedly.

"If there was any game left out there, that wouldn't be such a bad idea, but we can't risk losing our hold on Iron Town."

"And we'd still have thousands of mercenaries between us and those resources. Most of them are fighting either inside or out of Iron Town, but Asano's ordered that production be kept up," Gonza stated.

Eboshi withheld comment patiently. It was just as important to let those serving under a leader to come up with their own ideas as it was to give commands. Maybe more so.

"The mercenaries in the hills are worse off than the ones here in town," Toki said. "There's still fighting going on out there, but I'm willing to bet at least some of them would break away to meet the wagons if they saw them." She laughed. "They might not leave anything for their friends in Iron Town!"

"Maybe that's what the drivers think," Yohko said. "They're going the long way to get to the bridge, but they sure are moving fast."

"They're not running for us," Eboshi replied stately. "They're running away."

All three of them stared at her quizzically.

"My Lady?" Toki questioned, opening the hatch to the roof for them. A cool gust of air rushed in, relieving the heat a little, and they stepped up the short ladder and into the cool night. The night was clear except for a few silver clouds trailing across the wide, star-studded expanse, and the moon, surrounded by a thin white halo, shone down brilliantly on the scenery below. Wooden sandals clicking on the flat roof, Eboshi strode to the north-facing edge and looked out on the night-shrouded land beyond Iron Town's front gates. The fires that usually dotted the eastern hills where Asano's mercenaries made camp were fewer tonight than usual. Even with the steady gusts blowing, the air was remarkably still. The pounding of the battering ram below had ceased for the time being, and except for occasional gunshots, Iron Town was quiet. Too quiet.

She gazed over the strip of field that lay between the lake and the forest. She could just make out pockets of movement in the pale moonlight. Were those animals still fighting? The idea was laughable. It was impossible that they could last this long.

On the northeastern edge of the field, just as Yohko had said, a snake made up of pinpoints of torchlight was winding its way in the direction of Iron Town. She only glanced at it, though. What concerned her more lay beyond the returning supply train, beyond the faint, moonlit hills.

"Yep, that's them alright," Toki muttered beside her. "I still don't know why you didn't want us to ambush that one, too, my Lady."

"Lady Eboshi's orders are to be obeyed, not questioned," Gonza reprimanded her, and the forge woman stuck her tongue out at him saucily. Eboshi paid them little mind. Those two always quarreled. If she died in this war, Eboshi had every intention of leaving Toki in charge, but she would do well to listen to Gonza's advice from time to time. When he wasn't acting hot-headed.

After a few minutes of watching, her vigil was rewarded with the appearance of flecks of light on the crests of the hills. A few at first, then more and more, multiplying until they became hundreds teeming over the dark land.

"What on Earth—! My Lady! Something's happening in the hills!" Yohko said, stating the obvious. She and Toki, and even Gonza, wore awe-painted expressions. Toki looked rather dubious, however.

"Are those more of Asano's followers come to make themselves at home?" she wondered in a dangerous tone. Her hand went automatically to a knife on her belt, and Gonza grunted sourly.

"No," Eboshi answered, before they could begin speculating themselves into a frenzy. "They are guests." All three swung heads to stare at her, and she couldn't help a faint smile. She had debated informing the Council of this card up her sleeves, but the need for secrecy was as vital as her desire not to get their hopes up. It seemed that patience and planning had paid off, though, so she allowed herself to enjoy a shred of smugness. "We aren't the only ones concerned about Asano's presence in this land," she told them. The serpentine procession really was in a hurry to reach Iron Town, it seemed. The soldiers on the field had to have noticed the small army coming down on them. She wished it was lighter; a small part of her wanted to see the red-robes scurry. She was surprised to see this many men from the neighboring towns and villages. She'd expected a few score, but hundreds of lights were now pouring onto the field, townsmen willing to fight against the injustice being done to their Sister, or perhaps just fearful that Asano might begin eyeing their homes next. Kaya's Kenshin was no doubt in the lead of that band of lights. He was to be commended for his success. Eboshi very much hoped that he and the militia he brought with him survived fighting the mercenaries on the field long enough to join the resistance inside the town's walls.

"My debt to you is repaid, Princess Mononoke," she murmured into the strong breeze. She turned to leave the edge when a loud explosion of fire and thunder ripped through the cool night air. Yohko shrieked, startled, and Eboshi wheeled around, eyes fastened to the pillar of rising smoke and embers where the main gate used to be.

"What the devil!" Gonza shouted, nearly losing balance and pitching off the roof. Eboshi pursed her lips with displeasure. Had she been an animal, she would have snarled.

"The…..the gate!" Toki cried in shock.

Flaming bits of timber and lengths of smoking, heat-twisted iron fell in a shower onto the wide land bridge, and parts of the wall that had survived the blast were now catching fire. For just a moment, the points of light on the distant field froze, and soon alarm bells could be heard sounding below as the flames began to spread. Far worse than the brilliant orange and gold light and thick, dark smoke was the sight of red and white-clad men, some armored by the reflections given off their bodies and weapons, were charging at the town.

Eboshi swore softly under her breath.

"My Lady!" Yohko cried, sounding terrified. "What should we do?"

Eboshi realized she was digging her fingernails into the low stone wall surrounding the edge of the roof. It took her a few seconds to respond.

"Begin preparing the cannons. I want every able-bodied man and woman to arm him or herself, and stand by at the entrance to the forge. Go. I'll be down in a few minutes."

All three nodded with quick "Yes, my Lady"s and scurried away. Eboshi surveyed the situation down below. The mercenaries had now reached the wall and were spilling into the town, leaping over burning bits of debris. Dozens of their town-side comrades were turning out to see what the commotion was, some arriving with buckets of water and carrying it up the ladders to the watchtowers to put out some of the flames. Seeing their frenzy, one would think Iron Town really did belong to them. Eboshi forced herself to let go of the low wall. Until now, they had tried to fight this war with stealth and with traps. Now, watching the dozens, then scores, then hundreds of red-robed mercenaries enter the town, her confidence began to falter. They were losing the battle below ground. Now they would have to fight in the open once more. There were too many soldiers now for sneak attacks; she couldn't afford to split up her people to carry them out. It was time for the people of Iron Town to become an army.

Before turning away from the dismal scene, Eboshi sought out the mass of torches out on the field. If they arrived soon enough, they might be of some help. But now some thousands of mercenaries stood between them and the fledgling resistance.

It didn't look as though she would get any sleep tonight.

Sucking in deep, grateful breaths of hot air, Kaya pulled herself up into the ground level of the forge. She and her party had surfaced as soon as they heard the explosion. Even underground it was audible. She knew something terrible must have happened. Yurizen and the others climbed up after her. Kaya wiped the accumulated dirt and sweat from her brow and brushed her filthy clothes. Other parties headed by Council members that had gone into the tunnels stood about, drinking deeply from water skins and jugs carried by off-duty forge women. Covered in grime every bit as much as she, some talked in low but frantic voices to each other, all wondering about the explosion no doubt, some splashing water onto their faces, some simply sitting on the ground for a few moments' rest. Kaya didn't know why, but she checked her weapons. The rifle slung over her shoulder on a wide leather strap she'd brought up with her was much too large for her small hands, but she'd taken it from one of the underground caches anyway; if she didn't use it, one of Asano's thieves surely would.

The forge was quickly filling up with people. Kaya heard snatches of orders to arm and assemble before the massive iron doors and lots of speculation about the tremendous boom that had been heard. Some people were saying that the main gate to the town had been blown up. Others said Eboshi's house—now Asano's—had been attacked by the townspeople who had left on their own. Others still said a massive army of animals and people was forming on the field across the lake, ready to attack Iron Town, and the blast was part of their scare tactics. Kaya was curious about all the rumors, too, but a hush fell over the crowd when Lady Eboshi appeared in their midst. Though there wasn't much room to move around, people automatically shifted to give her space. Toki and Gonza flanked her like a grim-faced honor guard, both armed with the new rifles and a sword or belt knife.

"My friends, people of Iron Town," Eboshi said clearly. She hardly had to raise her voice. Except for the din of the ironworks, the forge seemed to have gone totally silent the instant she opened her mouth. "We can no longer fight this war as we have heretofore done." Without missing a beat, she went on. "The wall has been breached. Asano's reinforcements are pouring into the town. Thousands of them. However, even as I speak, our own reinforcements are on the way, crossing the field to the lake. They will be here soon. Until they arrive, we must fight against Asano with all the force we have. This night will determine who will emerge as the sole rulers of Iron Town—the people who have sweated, bled, and died to raise her, or the greedy pigs who would rape her on a whim." Her ice-blue gaze panned the crowd of dirty, sweating, tired faces, and her voice took on a softer note. "Iron Town is far more than just a place. It is far more than the streets, houses, and workshops that make it up. It is freedom. All of us have come here looking for a new chance at life and have found it. That is what we are fighting to protect."

There was a palpable hush in the wake of her words. Kaya broke her eyes away from Eboshi and studied the familiar faces of the people around her. A handful were staring at the ground blankly, one even weeping openly, shoulders shaking as she clutched a rifle to her chest. The rest though, stared fixedly at Eboshi, all with determined expressions and firm lips. While Eboshi talked on about the open offensive and began giving instructions to the crowd gathered, their faces did not change. After a minute the weeping woman pulled herself together and stood up straight, stifling occasional sniffles. Kaya felt sorry for her. She felt sorry for all of them. They were not soldiers—they were forge workers, weavers, woodcutters, merchants, seamstresses, gardeners, and miners. Most of them didn't even know how to skillfully handle the weapons in their hands. But they were doing what had to be done. Kaya felt for the mercenary's short sword tucked under her sash. What had to be done.

When Eboshi finished speaking, the main floor of the forge quickly became like a kicked ants' nest. People hustled everywhere, some forming lines to receive the new rifles, others heading to the grinding stones to sharpen blades.

Kaya lingered for a moment, watching a group of wide, heavily muscled men haul out a pair of cannons on ropes from a shed on the main floor near the bellows. Others scurried to bring shot for them, piling it by the cannon bases, once the black monstrosities came to a rest, barrels pointed directly at the main doors of the forge—heavily dented but still standing. How many mercenaries now stood on the other side, she wondered? Kaya was afraid to know.

"Kaya," came Eboshi's voice right behind her. She almost jumped. She turned to see the stately woman surveying her calmly. In the background, men and women equipped with both old and new guns, swords, spears, slings—anything that could be mustered—were massing behind the cannons.

"My Lady?"

"It would appear Princess Mononoke has decided to take her leave of us," Eboshi said.

Kaya felt a twinge of guilt. "We were separated in the tunnels," she explained candidly.

Eboshi's lips curled up in a faint smile, but no disparaging words for her came from them.

"Somehow I think she's only going to cause more trouble for us later." There was a strange hint of fondness in her tone. "Well, that's hardly important now. She can do as she pleases. We, on the other hand, have a job to do."

Kaya bowed her head. "Yes, my Lady," she replied, then trotted over to fall in with the rest of the crowd to prepare for battle.

An ancient forest of the gods was no place for men, let alone in the darkness. Even in numbers, on the beaten dirt path that carved through the towering trees, looking like a scar in the moonlight, the eerie sounds of night were enough to send shivers down any man's back. Kenshin looked side-to-side at the men on horseback accompanying him. Less than half of their number had mounts, and that made the going slow. He looked back at the uneven column following him. Fires flickered from torches, illuminating tough, journey-hardened faces. Most were common laborers—blacksmiths, tanners, farmers, merchants, goatherds, even a few priests. All men, with a few boys just barely old enough to have hair on their chins. Not a one of them was a warrior, though a few could handle a sword with some degree of skill. He turned his attention back to the road ahead. Iron Town was close now. She was close.

The supply train they had been pursuing had the advantage of fewer numbers as well as a head start to aid their flight. And flee they did, like a rabbit before a hound. Kenshin did not care much. All that mattered now was to reach the town.

Nudging the flanks of his horse, he pressed the animal to a trot. In this darkness, it could easily catch a hoof on a stone or exposed root and break its leg. Kenshin suppressed a sigh. This would have to do. Hundreds of footfalls like rain drumming on a cedar roof sounded behind him as the men picked up speed, and they continued their march through the night.

When at last they broke through the seemingly never-ending sea of trees, Kenshin pulled back on his leggy roan's reins. The land sloped don into a crescent-shaped field, and just beyond it was the lake and Iron Town, still aglow with the light of the forge. The supply train was making its way around the field instead of pressing straight through, as though hoping to lose them. When he looked to the field, he saw why.

"The battle has already begun," muttered a heavyset man on a dark horse that looked more suited to the plow. He tipped back his conical straw hat. "Are we too late?"

"I've never heard of battle like this. Amida preserve us, the world has gone mad," the other, older rider at his right shoulder said.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes to see better. Now and then, a pinprick of light would accompany a burst of gunfire, or moonlight would reflect off of a warrior's armor. Asano's paid cutthroats were down there, fighting. Dying, too, from the gurgling screams that occasionally floated up to his ears. But their opponents were not human. As often as a human screamed, a bear would howl, or a wildcat screech. Kaya had told him about the gods of the forest, and their leader, Princess Mononoke. Perhaps the final battle between gods and humans had come at last. In this darkness, it was hard to tell who was winning.

"Defend yourselves if you must, but we push towards Iron Town," he called out loudly. He unsheathed his curved sword in one fluid motion and held it high over his head for his followers to see. Booting the horse's sides sharply, he kept his blade raised as his mount began galloping down the shallow hill like an arrow sailing smoothly from a bow. The mounted villagers and townsmen were not far behind. The rest on foot came down the hill as well, clustered in a tight group but much slower. Kenshin did not particularly care. He had fulfilled the woman Eboshi's instructions and brought help to Iron Town. Now he had his own matters to see to.

Pounding hoof beats filled his ears as the roan burst onto the field. He had fought battles at night before, many times, under his old lord. But nothing in his experience was like this. Pale, ghostly shapes and dark shadows flitted about over the grass. Now and then, moonlight glinted off the wing of a falcon descending on a lumbering human shape, and the man would shriek. Armored mercenaries sliced at shaggy, four-legged beasts with their swords, shot them with arrows and crossbow bolts, and still the animals would fight on until they were overwhelmed and exhausted. There were no humans fighting other humans that he could see. It was difficult to discern colors, but Kenshin guessed that anything running about on two feet was an enemy.

Directly ahead of him a mercenary was locked in battle with a yowling wildcat. The beast leapt this way and that to avoid its opponent's stabbing blade. When the mercenary heard the sound of Kenshin approaching on his horse, he glanced up long enough to look Kenshin in the eye before losing his head to Kenshin's sword. Only when a mercenary was in his way did Kenshin bother to lift his hand against him—once he was almost knocked off his horse by another mounted mercenary's spear haft, but Kenshin didn't linger to fight.

The field was littered with bodies, both animal and human. Some sections where the carnage was severe were almost impossible to navigate, but still he pressed on for the bridge and Iron Town's gate. He was almost there when he spotted a white figure streaking over the pale grass coming at him, like a moonbeam made flesh. It was large, equally the size of his own horse, and fast, leaping over rocks and corpses nimbly, undeterred. It did not take Kenshin long to realize he was the beast god's target. Pulling back on the reins sharply and causing his horse to whinny loudly, rearing up on its hind legs, he called out,

"Stop! I am not your enemy!"

The world suddenly exploded in an ear-splitting roar like thunder and flame lit up the scene till it was almost as bright as midday. Kenshin felt his body separate from the horse, was vaguely aware of hitting the ground and rolling with his sword still clenched tightly in his hand. His head swam as he tried to lift it, and the acrid smell of gunpowder burned his nose. Burning bits of wood and metal of all sizes rained down around him like falling stars, and he shielded his head with his arm. Kenshin looked up to see the massive gate at the end of the man-made earthen bridge a wall of smoke rimmed with fire, with pieces still falling away. Then, within just minutes, he saw a horde of mercenaries begin flooding over the bridge and into the town. There were few beasts to harass them; any who tried to snap at the tight formation of armed mercenaries were shot or cut down, but many were frozen in shock, or fleeing from the sight of the explosion on wings or legs. A handful of rats scurried over Kenshin's lightly armored back in their frenzy to escape.

With a groan, Kenshin pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, seeking out the pale beast god that had been bearing down on him just moments ago. He spotted it several paces away, lying on its side. With some effort, he climbed to his feet.

Standing well away but close enough to get a good look at the creature, Kenshin leaned on his sword scabbard for support. It was as he suspected. He'd heard Kaya speak of giant animals living in this place, gods from ancient times. The wolf struggling to rise in front of him must be one of them, one of the servants of this Princess Mononoke the townspeople sometimes spoke of, or "San" as Kaya called her. The great wolf was bleeding in several places and looked fearsome when it finally made it up on all four paws. Kenshin noticed its tail was missing—only a stump encrusted with dried blood remained.

"Ancient lord," Kenshin addressed it formally. He had never spoken with a god before and had no idea how it should be done. The last thing he wanted was a battle-crazed wolf god biting him in half. From the looks of it, the shaggy beast could break an iron spear haft in two with its powerful jaws. "Can you still fight?"

The giant wolf fixed eerily glowing eyes on him and pulled its red lips back over its equally stained teeth. It seemed to be studying him as well, though with ears laid back and a deep growl rumbling in its throat. Kenshin hoped the beast could sense he was not an enemy.

"I can," the god said at last in a deep grating voice that made the hairs on the back of Kenshin's neck stand up.

Kenshin nodded. He looked over his shoulder to where he'd fallen. The roan horse was not far from the spot on its side, neck twisted at an unnatural angle. "I have a favor to ask of you," Kenshin said quickly. "Asano's reinforcements have breached the wall. I need to get back into Iron Town and find someone. Will you help me?"

The wolf ceased growling and swiveled his huge, scarred head in the direction of the burning wall.

"She's in there, somewhere," he replied in a tone like a rockslide. Kenshin wondered whom the wolf was talking about, but it was hardly important. The wolf seemed to ponder for a moment. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Kenshin blurted. "There are too many mercenaries at the gate. We have to go around."

"There's no time," the wolf god argued with a snarl. "If you want my help, get on my back. Your human legs are too slow."

Kenshin blinked in surprise, staring dubiously at the wolf's wound-covered body, but at an additional snarl from the wolf—he was ill-tempered for sure, and with a god, that was nothing to be easy about—he jumped up onto the creature's shaggy back. Almost as soon as his hand grasped a fistful of fur to hold onto, the wolf was off, loping towards the ruined gate and the column of red-and-white-coated mercenaries streaming in. The wolf god picked up speed, streaming smoothly over the grass, and the procession of mercenaries. They seemed to be in a rush to get inside the walls. Kenshin almost couldn't blame them. A nighttime battle like this would have anyone scurrying for cover. He looked back to see the torches of his army steadily edging closer.

It didn't take long for the mercenaries entering the town to spot them.

"It's the wolf demon! Hurry! Shoot it!"

Kenshin hung on for dear life as the wolf dodged and ducked the mercenaries' attacks. They made it to the bridge, and before he knew it, the wolf was bowling through red and white-clad humans like a fish swimming in a river current. Holding tightly on with one hand, Kenshin unsheathed his short sword with his other and swiped at the mercenaries surrounding him and the wolf god. Blood sprayed around him, but he wasn't sure whether it was his own, the wolf's or men's. Or all three. He almost lost his grip on the short sword as a mercenary's blade sliced his forearm.

The wolf was almost to the gate, but slowing. The bridge was engulfed with chaos as men tried to scurry only to find themselves trapped in the press of bodies, tried to fire weapons and hit comrades instead, or tried to lash out at Kenshin and his strange mount. Mercenaries directly in his path were soon lost under the massive wolf's paws and cried out as they were trampled.

"Keep going!" Kenshin encouraged the ancient god. "We're almost there!"

He felt the muscles beneath the shaggy white fur bunch up, then before he knew it, the wolf was sailing through the air, over the heads of the mercenaries. Arrows flew and a gunshot or two, once close enough for Kenshin to feel the air next to his ear stirred by the fletching, but in moments the wolf god had touched its paws back down to the ground and was taking off like lightning zig-zagging through the crowd. Most of the people in the town square were too stunned by the sight of the raging beast god in their midst to oppose them, though Kenshin had to cut down a couple of Asano's men in their path raising weapons at them. Within moments, they broke free and were pelting down the dark streets of Iron Town unhampered and unpursued.

The great, shaggy wolf came to a stop in a dark, uninhabited alleyway between a tavern and a tailor's shop. Kenshin slid off its back and only then, in the light of the pale moon shining directly above, got a look at how injured it was. Two or three arrows stuck out of its flanks on either side, and several patches of its fur were dripping blood where the god had been shot by mercenaries' guns. Most of the wounds appeared fresh.

"Here we part. I must find San," the wolf growled in what seemed to Kenshin like a weary sigh. That was it. With no further parting words, the wolf god sauntered off into the shadows, limping heavily. Kenshin was amazed that it hadn't fallen over dead on the spot. After the white wolf disappeared out of sight, Kenshin sheathed his sword yet kept his hand ready on the hilt, and ran off in the other direction.

Normally, Iron Town would be bustling with activity, even this late at night. Looted shops appeared deserted, many with windows broken or curtains over doors ripped. All the buildings were dark and silent.

The booms of cannons sounded distantly, somewhere to the south. Gunshots answered. After a few moments the cannons fired again. There was a large battle going on somewhere in the town. Kenshin hurriedly doubled back, took of running.

Kaya stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. The mercenary towering over her drew back his sword to kill her, but a bullet from a townsman's gun pierced his head, and he toppled over like a tree. Jaw dropped in horror, Kaya scurried away, picking up her short sword where it had been knocked out of her grip. People were falling all around her, mercenaries and townspeople alike. Suddenly in her path was a short, wide mercenary, face covered by a veil except for his cruel, menacing eyes. Without thinking, Kaya thrust her short sword into his heart, and those eyes widened in surprised. Without waiting for him to collapse, Kaya gasped and ran on. She hated this. She hated it! Another mercenary in her way, his back turned to her as he fought one of her friends. She stabbed him, too. When was it going to end!

One of the cannons, previously hidden in an alley behind stacks of empty crates, went off again with a deafening boom that made the ground seem to tremble. Kaya couldn't see how many of Asano's cutthroats it took down. She didn't want to see! Everything her gaze fell on was a nightmare she would never wake up from!

The fighting spilled into the intersecting streets. Kaya's sides burned from exertion, her hip flared with pain as she ran a few paces only to be met by another mercenary. The rest of the world was blocked out as she parried sword blows with him. He was a trained swordsman, while she was only a girl from a country village. Her skill was no match for his when it came to blades. She brought her foot up and kicked him between the legs quickly and as hard as she could. The mercenary's eyes widened in surprised, and Kaya used her momentary advantage to slice across his neck. She flitted away again, feeling like she wanted to vomit.

"Kaya!" a woman's voice called out to her. It was the miller's wife, a stout but strong woman named Shoushi. She was half-lying on the ground, clutching the blood-soaked front of her robe. Kaya soon realized she was trying to hold in her bowels, having been gutted like a fish. "Kaya, please help me!" Kaya started towards her, but too late, as a bulky man in Asano's colors thrust his sword through her back, ending her misery. Kaya quickly fled before he could lock eyes on her as his next target.

The cannons fired again.

Kaya ran. She ran and ran. Away from the battle, with its horrifying sights and sounds. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. Her hip was fire. Every scratch and cut on her throbbed. She checked over her shoulder constantly, terrified of seeing anyone in red and white in pursuit. Veering off wildly, partly because of her injury, partly because of the smothering panic come over her, she found herself in a street near the market. Eventually her feet slowed, and she came to a stop just outside the rice seller's cart. Without warning, her knees gave out, and huddled on the ground trembling.

The sound of footsteps fast approaching out of nowhere startled her, and Kaya hastily brought up her short sword ready to defend herself. If she could. The night was silent now except for the faded sounds of fighting. Was she imagining things now? Had she gone mad? If so, perhaps she wasn't even here. Perhaps none of this was happening.

"Who's there?" she called out in a voice that was scarcely more than a whimper. With quite a bit of effort she managed to pull herself up onto her feet again. Oh, how her hip hurt!

A shape moved across the street, came out from behind a rack of dyed cloths. It was familiar in the moonlight.

"Kaya? Is that you?" Her knees very nearly gave out again.

"Kenshin!" At the sound of his name, the young samurai rushed out to meet her. In truth, he just barely kept her from collapsing. Relief swept over Kaya in such powerful waves that the short sword dropped from her fingers and she swayed forward. Kenshin was instantly there before her, holding her up. Kaya pressed her face to the lacquered plate covering his chest and let the tears flow. The only person she could have been happier to see right then would have been Ashitaka.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Kenshin said softly, holding her close. That was all he said. He never was much for words. That didn't prevent her from spilling all of hers.

"I can't do this anymore, Kenshin!" she wailed. "It's too much! I've been such a fool. I thought I could do this, but I just can't!"

"Then we are all fools," was his steady response. Kaya looked up at him through tear-blurred eyes. "War is a very foolish thing."

Kaya scrubbed at her dirty, tear-stained face. "What am I supposed to do?" she wondered aloud. Kenshin stooped down to pick up her short sword. When he straightened, he was holding it out to her, the flat blade balancing on his palm.

"The choice is before you. Fight, or run. Help your friends, or save yourself. You are no samurai. You are not honor-bound to fight."

Tears swam afresh in her eyes as she stared miserably at the blood-stained blade in her protector's hand. Help your friends, or save yourself. What a wretched decision.

"I don't suppose a samurai has much of a choice, does he?"

Kenshin responded quietly,

"Where you are concerned, never."

Kaya's hand closed over the hilt, and she took the short sword from him, sheathing it in her belt.

"I have to help my friends. I'm going to keep fighting."

"I knew you would," he replied. He surprised her by pulling her into a close embrace. He usually didn't display much affection towards her, if any at all. Kaya allowed herself a few pitiful moments of comfort. Who knew if they'd ever come again. She knew now what had to be done.

What had to be done.

"You won't be alone this time. I'll be watching out for you."

It took all the determination Kaya had to hold back the tears welling up. She forced herself to pull away from the raven-haired samurai. He said nothing more but fell into step behind her as she began making her way painfully—in both heart and body—back towards the nightmare.

Author's Notes:

So sorry this took so long. Summer's been way busy with work school and tutoring Japanese on the side. Writer's block for a full month didn't help much either, and I ended up having to re-write nearly the whole chapter. I'm kind of relieved there's only one chapter left and everything will be over and done. And it will be done. Doesn't make too much sense to quit now. Anyway, thanks for being patient. Again, I'd like some feedback, negative or positive (though if it is negative, I prefer it to be constructive.)

Arigatou, mina-san.

Yuriko


	29. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 28 Pt 1

Mononoke-hime Continuation

Disclaimer: Meh….this is the last chapter. Let's just skip it this time.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Ashitaka squirmed to try to find a better position on the short, scruffy grass without a rock irritably poking him in the back, but after a few minutes he gave it up as a lost cause. The meadow he and Yakkuru were camped in for the night was half a mile from the road, but Ashitaka didn't want to take any chances. It seemed the bandits around these parts were getting bolder, or perhaps just more desperate. Ashitaka had nothing more than his knife and bow and the clothes on his back, but even that wasn't enough to deter robbers and rogue samurai beset by hard times. Ashitaka couldn't waste any time trying to fight them off, but sometimes he had no choice; at least the number of incidents declined once he entered the forests surrounding Iron Town. Most bandits weren't bold enough to enter the "haunted" woods, no matter how bad things were in their own war-torn homelands. Even so, Ashitaka thought it wise to take extra precautions and stay away from the road as soon as darkness fell.

The rocks under his back weren't what kept him awake; neither was the deep hoots of a nearby owl, which quickly cowed the songs of the night birds. Ashitaka had even stopped noticing the insects crawling or flying over him. The moon was slowly sinking into the west, clear and bright amidst the twinkling stars. Ashitaka urged it on. The sooner it was light, the sooner he could set out again for Iron Town. Yakkuru pawed the ground in his sleep, grunting softly. Ashitaka looked over at the elk and sighed. He envied the beast. He could get a bit of rest, at least. Ashitaka had not known a decent night's sleep for days—weeks, now—except for short snatches here and there, on or off the road. Night after night, his dreams haunted him. Night after night, they were the same. The faces changed, but when he finally woke up in a sweat, thrashing, he couldn't shake the images of their deaths. San, Kaya, even Toki and Lady Eboshi. Others he knew, from Iron Town and from back home. Their faces were full of sorrow and suffering. The dreams became worse the closer to home he got. They were full of death, of pain. Of voices crying out to him to save them.

Laying his head back on the flat rock serving as his pillow, Ashitaka shut his eyes and tried once more to doze off. Purposefully he tried not to think of San or Eboshi or Kaya, but their images nudged at his mind behind his eyelids. San's especially. She always filled his thoughts. He imagined he could hear her voice, even though she was miles away. In his dreams he could see her. Touch her. Breathe the pine-sweet scent of her skin. But then….

He exhaled, trying to push down the awful visions that now plagued him whenever his mind drifted. He didn't know whether the scenes of carnage and death were prophetic or merely his soul worrying over his friends and his love back home. Perhaps they were linked to his powers. What was happening in Iron Town? Was San fighting Asano and all of his mercenaries? And what of his sister? His friends? Rolling onto his side, Ashitaka opened his eyes to look at Yakkuru. It would be another sleepless night. He could tell.

He pushed up his sleeve to glance at his left arm. In the pale moonlight he could see the purplish-black mark of the demon running all the way down to his fingertips. Fear and anger made it spread faster. Now the burn-like mark spread over his body as far down as his knee, but still patchy. His neck and part of his face were partially painted as well. His back and chest were completely covered. Ashitaka could only imagine what he looked like on the inside. He hoped San would still recognize him. If he ever saw her again.

The ever-present searing pain flared up again, and Ashitaka scowled. Clenching his teeth, he compromised with it and instead recited prayers for her in his head to try to calm his spirit. Whatever gods exist in heaven or on earth, please protect her, he begged. The air stirred for a few seconds, cooling the perspiration on his clammy skin. Whether it was a good omen or not, he didn't know.

All the next day Ashitaka kept Yakkuru at a good pace. He couldn't afford to run his friend to death, not matter how badly he wished for a fast gallop. Before long, the narrow road began to run parallel to the river, a sure sign that he was nearly home. Ashitaka did not halt the journey except to relieve himself. Even food became a burden. He had long since run out of his provisions obtained in Kyoto, and he didn't have time to stop and hunt properly. He made do with whatever plants and berries he could scour along the road, or small animals he could catch during the useless hours of the night. But for the most part, his stomach was empty more often than not.

The moon was setting behind the heavily treed ridge the next day by the time Ashitaka looked down to see the sprawling village of Kawashimo nestled on the bank of the river. The sky was a long way to turning light, but even now, despite the early hour and weak light, fishers and barge men were already hard at work. Women and children tended to gardens behind the village, and carts and horses passed each other in the streets. Smoke rose from the chimneys of thatch-roofed houses. It all looked very normal, but Ashitaka was puzzled. Even a fishing village would not be awake this early.

"Still, it's good to see a nice, quiet village again, isn't it, Yakkuru?" Ashitaka commented to the elk as he patted the animal's thick neck. Letting go of the reins, he began tying his straw cloak around him, masking his face except for his eyes with an opaque red veil. A good few bandits he'd come across had been spooked by his unearthly appearance. Ashitaka didn't want to frighten any of these villagers. He knew a handful of them personally, and though he couldn't stay long to chat, perhaps he could at least find out how things were faring in Iron Town. And maybe find a quick bite to eat, he mentally added as a stabbing cramp of pain hit his stomach yet again.

Yakkuru flew down the hill to the village without any prompting from Ashitaka's heels, though Ashitaka did have to haul on the reins hard to slow him down at the perimeter of the fishing village before he ran anyone down. Ashitaka was comforted by the familiar sights he'd long been without—children playing in the streets, old women sitting outside their homes mending clothes, mothers hauling water around in buckets to do the laundry or bathe a protesting child. Had it been daytime, it all would have looked completely normal. Despite the oddness of it, the village was alive, its heart beating to the age-old rhythm it had always followed. But something seemed amiss, something besides the sleepless village, and as Ashitaka rode through the wide, uneven streets, past a tannery, a butcher's yard, and the net weaver's shop, it became more and more obvious. He could see it in the seamstress's eyes when he passed her standing outside her shop. Women turning meat on spits outdoors or minding steaming pots of rice also had that tight look to their eyes. Even the children's play seemed subdued up close. Everywhere he went, slowing the elk down to a walk, people stared at him. He could almost feel their eyes boring into his back.

He steered Yakkuru past the village's single inn and was just about to turn down an intersecting street that eventually resumed the way to Iron Town when he heard his name ring out on the cool, early morning air.

"Ashitaka, is that you?"

Bringing Yakkuru around, Ashitaka noticed a plump, rather Buddha-like old man hurrying towards him. He recognized the owner of the inn immediately and lowered his veil a little.

"Shinbo, it's good to see you," he replied, smiling. He dismounted and held on to Yakkuru's reins as the old innkeeper approached him. Shinbo was not only the innkeeper, he was also the head of the village, sort of like the Oracle from back home, or Lady Eboshi in Iron Town. Ashitaka met him several months ago when accompanying a shipment of iron to Kawashimo. He knew Shinbo as a collected, capable man, slow to anger, and fair to all, even if he did drink a little too much from time to time.

Huffing and wheezing like the short sprint had done him in, Shinbo bent over with hands on his knees to catch his breath. Ashitaka laid a hand on the man's shoulder, asking,

"Shinbo, are you alright? What's going on around here? Where are all the men? I don't think I've seen more than a dozen since I arrived. And Iron Town! Is it still peaceful? Is Asano still there?"

"Not so many questions, boy! You'll wear an old man out." Shinbo straightened, his wide girth wobbling, and he motioned to Ashitaka. "Come. Come back with me to the inn. There are a few things I think we need to discuss." He turned and began to head back the way he'd come. A young woman with long, disheveled hair stepped forward to take Yakkuru away, pledging to feed and water him as well as rub him down. Ashitaka thanked her, and she led the placid elk away to the stable joined on to the inn.

Inside Shinbo's establishment, the rotund man sat down on the rug in front of the already glowing coals smoking in a pit in the center of the room, but not before offering Ashitaka a bottle of sake and raking the coals to release an extra burst of heat. Nursing a bottle of his own, he sat across the pit from Ashitaka and stared at him gloomily.

"Boy, these times we live in are enough to make a man go mad," he said in a deep rumble, punctuating the sentence with a deep swig from the brown bottle. "It's hardly safe to set a toe outside one's abode. Bad enough there's war raging all over the country, but now even the earth itself seems to be rising out of its sleep in anger."

"What has happened?" Ashitaka asked anxiously, hastily taking a few swallows of rice wine. It tasted rather bland, like it had been overly diluted. "Any news of Iron Town?"

"Asano still has your people under his thumb," Shinbo replied with disgust. "Not more than a few hours ago, a lone samurai who claimed he was from Iron Town rode in like the wind, asking for any able-bodied men to come help Eboshi and the rest resist Asano and all his toughs. I was there when he came. He sounded desperate. It was the middle of the night, but he took a good four hundred men or more with him. They were all gone within an hour." He tilted the bottle back again. "We've all been up since. Can't rest knowing that there's a war going on practically on your doorstep." He took another deep swig. "Ahhhh. There's nothing like good drink to calm a man's spirit when he's in the middle of so much suffering."

Ashitaka felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, and he set the bottle down dejectedly. So it was as he feared.

"And that's not the half of it," Shinbo continued, leaning forward, wide eyes aglow with astonishment. "The forest has awakened. Birds, beasts, fishes. They're all behaving strangely. Some of the villagers speak of seeing things. Ghosts. Monsters. Huge beats that dwell deep in the mountains, all on the move. Our trappers and fishers have been scouring the land and rivers looking for game. It's as if the animals have all up and left. Rumor has it they're all moving west, to Iron Town, led by Princess Mononoke herself!" He spat the last few words and formed a Buddhist sign for protection with his free hand then guzzled down the rest of the bottle.

Ashitaka gazed at the floor. It was all as he feared. He prayed his troubling dreams were not a reflection of reality. San had to be alive and safe! If she wasn't…..If she wasn't, he would never forgive himself. He immediately got to his feet and threw his straw cloak back over himself.

"Hey, where are you going?" Shinbo wondered, surprised, but Ashitaka quickly overrode him, asking,

"How many mercenaries are in Iron Town now?" He caught himself before he said any more. His hand closed on his sheathed knife, imagining how many of those men he would have to cut through to get to San. "No, don't tell me. It doesn't matter at any rate."

"You're planning to go fight them?" Shinbo asked, his speech slurring just a little. It was plain that he'd had more than one bottle that night. "Well, good luck to you then, Ashitaka. You'll need it. If Iron Town fails, we'll probably be next. So don't fail."

Ashitaka opened his mouth to speak, but all he could bring himself to say was,

"Thanks for the drink." He managed a small, very weak smile. No need to be worrying about goodbyes. Getting back to Iron Town—to San—was all that was important now. He felt for the hard chunk of crystal hanging under his shirt. With a nod to Shinbo, he turned and ran out the door.

Silently stalking the two chatting humans—fools they were, acting so careless in the den of the enemy—San felt cool, fresh air touch her cheeks and forehead as she rounded a bend in the tunnel. This one was an older one—the dirt smelled older. She could stretch out her arms without brushing the side of it, though she had to stoop low to keep from banging her head. Her quarry was several steps ahead of her, but completely unaware that they were being followed. They were close to the tunnel's end, and the eager feelings of wanting to leave this wretched place made her want to breathe harder. Want to vomit. But she kept her step and pulse steady—warred to keep her stomach still!—calmed the desire to dash out and be free of the close, oppressing earth. Moving carefully on her hurting leg, she lengthened her stride, bringing her dagger up. She could see a grayish light ahead, just above eye level.

"…..got me on guard duty again tonight, but I get to leave after that."

"I wouldn't complain if I were you. You could be out fightin' those rebels," his comrade answered. "Besides, it ain't so bad, sittin' around on your behind all day—at least, when no one's lookin'—all the wine you can—ugghhh!"

San pulled her dagger out of his unarmored back, ducking as the other guard cried out in surprise and swung his rifle around. She launched up on the balls of her feet and sliced across his throat, causing her leg to painfully throb. She wasn't quick enough to avoid getting any of the mercenary's blood on her, but the man toppled over with gurgling gasps. Then she spotted the first guard trying to crawl away on his belly, groaning and trying to work his voice up to a shout. Baring her teeth in irritation, San leapt onto him and curled her arm under his neck. She silenced him with one quick stroke of her knife. His body went limp under her. Panting with exertion and the heat of the moment, San sat back on the man's rump and wiped her sweat-damp face with the back of her hand. The air was so close, so stale. It was unlikely that the guards could have been able to warn anyone, but she had best be on her way before anyone else unfriendly appeared. As she shifted, her heel touched something hard. Examining it, San discovered it was a dagger the length of her forearm, tied to the man's waist. San cut it free with her own knife. Two blades were better than one, and she needed all the advantage she could get for her purposes.

At the tunnel's exit, a rough, shallow set of stairs was carved out of the dirt, about as tall as she was. She scrambled up and out into a large, cool room. She filled her lungs as full as she could with fresh air. Looking back at the tunnel—a rough hole cut into the base of the stone wall, she frowned. If she didn't succeed in killing Asano and his men, at least she had one route of escape open to her.

The guards had left candles lit in the room she found herself in. It was full of barrels and bottles, stacked almost to the ceiling. San knew the scent—it was similar to the sweet-tasting drink she'd been given during her visit to Kaya's house. Remembering the way it left her feeling later on, she shook her head. She stashed the mercenary's weapon in the belt at her waist, ready to draw it at a moment's need. Her own reliable blade she kept in hand, ready to lash out at any sight of white and red. Finding the door in the dim candlelight was a simple matter. She pushed it aside to find a hall with many other doors. There were stairs at the end of it. The hall was noiseless and pitch black, but her other senses could make up for diminished sight. It was time for the hunt to begin.

At the top of the stairs, she almost jumped to see a guard facing her. Upon a second glance, she saw he was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, slow, even breathing making his mustache twitch. San cautiously crept towards him. She peeked over his shoulder. No one else to be seen. With one deft motion of her sharp knife, the mercenary's eyes snapped open, but he lurched forward without crying out and tumbled down the stairs to land in a crumpled heap. San was slipping past him and moving along yet another hall before he even fell.

She found other guards stationed throughout the lower levels of the house. Most of them were standing guard in front of rooms or halls. None moved. A few were sleeping. When there were too many, she went around, but four more of Asano's soulless minions tasted her blade by the time San judged she reached the main level of the house, where the floors were made of wood, not dirt, and elaborate decorations adorned every wall. The house was like a maze, far bigger and more impressive than Kaya's had been. San wrinkled her nose at the stench. Humans all around. Humans drunk with wine. Drunk with arrogance. With anger. It was nearly enough to make her head spin.

Clinging to the shadows, San made her way across the floor, cautiously testing spots with her foot to determine whether they would squeak or not and give her away. She avoided the weak shafts of moonlight that shone through the paper-covered windows. Now and again, a human silhouette would appear on the other side of the windows, and she froze, waiting for it to leave before moving again. Sometimes the waiting felt excruciatingly long.

Wolf-trained eyes searching the darkness, San prowled through rooms and halls, retreating into corners whenever patrolling guards strode by with their lamps. They came at regular intervals, it seemed. When one guard passed, she quickly stole up a flight of stairs and down another hall, always watchful for danger. Just as she reached a spot where the hallway split into two directions—one way to the left and one to the right—she heard a man's muffled shout coming from below.

"Raise the alarm! There's an intruder! All men, to your posts!"

Crouching with her weight on her uninjured leg, San whipped her head back to study the intersection. Both ways she looked saw approaching lights in the distance. Heavy footfalls accompanied them. They came from below as well, nearing the stairs. There were many men coming. She could not kill Asano if she died confronting his thugs directly! San looked around quickly for some place to hide herself. There were three rooms on this corridor—two on one side, one on the other. She hastily limped for the nearest one just as the space by the stairs began to brighten and parted the doors, throwing herself in.

She closed the doors quietly behind her. Her pupils constricted to adjust to the new level of light. San whirled around, knife at the ready. Had she landed herself into an even deeper mess? When she saw her surroundings, she almost gaped. In this dim, candle-lit room were near a score of women. Some sat around in groups, others lay on pallets spread out on the floor, awake or asleep. Those who were still up all had eyes fixed on her.

"Princess Monono--!!" a woman kneeling next to a young girl, who was crying, exclaimed before one of her companions clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh!!!" another woman hushed, though she, too, had wide, astonished eyes. San felt like she could lower her weapon. These women didn't seem to be any immediate threat.

"Don't tell me Asano's got a taste for feral little savages now!" one woman across the room remarked with amazement.

San heard footsteps in the hall just outside the door.

"Hide me!" she pleaded, surprised at how quickly her lips were able to make the request.

The women looked at one another with astonishment. One who sat cross-legged on her pallet reacted quickly and pulled San down to the blankets. Two other women moved towards her, one throwing a blanket over San, who lay on her side curled in a tight ball.

"Not so close together!" she heard one women hiss. "You look suspicious enough as it is!"

San heard the doors part roughly, frames slamming into the walls, and several women's indignant voices.

"What's going on here? You can't just barge in on us!"

"Hey, you guys aren't allowed in here!"

"If you're even thinking about getting any, you'd better leave now, before we tell Asano you're slacking off!"

Followed by,

"Quiet, dogs! We're looking for an intruder who's killed several of our men. Have you seen or heard anything?"

There was a quiet pause, and San waited tensely as her fate hung in it.

"We haven't seen anyone," a woman declared in a cool, calm voice. "Now leave us alone."

San lay motionless as the seconds stretched out silently. Would the guards believe them and go away? A guard's brutish voice dispelled her hopes that they were done here.

"Why's that girl crying?" he demanded.

The same woman with the cool, collected voice who had just spoken answered him.

"Because she's just found out she's pregnant, you numbskull. We may just seem like a bunch of whores to you, but we're really people with families and feelings, believe it or not."

After the third long pause, the guards must have given up, for they slammed the door shut again, and an instant later, the blanket covering San was removed.

"Thanks," her tongue fumbled as she sat up and gazed at the cluster of women standing around her.

The women were exchanging glances with one another as well as giving San dubious stares.

"In all my life, I never thought we'd be helping you," one of them muttered. The others had similar sentiments and nodded in agreement. "But we can't argue anyone who's willing to give these red-coated sons of—"

"Aki….." one of her companions said warningly.

The woman twisted her lips in displeasure. "…..these mercenaries…..a bit of payback."

"Might as well be you," a younger woman with large black eyes and a small mouth added. "We're hardly ever allowed to leave this room."

"Unless it's to go to Asano's bed," another said with hatred in her tone.

"There are guards all around us, all the time. They beat us if we don't do what they say. Poor Mayuko was clubbed till she was black and blue. And then she was sent to the mercenary barracks because Asano didn't think she was pretty anymore."

"She can't have survived their paws for long," the cool-voiced woman said softly. "Just thinking about ending up like her is enough to make a woman want to kill herself." The others nodded in agreement.

"I have to go," San said, laboring to get back up on her feet. She checked for her blades. Eyeing the women, she decided she could trust them. As far as humans could be trusted. They did have a common enemy, after all. "I'm going to go kill Asano," she announced. She was taken aback somewhat by the way the women all grew wide-eyed, smiling. Even the crying girl, being rocked slowly in the arms of one of her companions, quit blubbering and looked over at San. The collected woman—San thought her to be the leader of this pack—only looked skeptical.

"By yourself? It's plain you're injured. There are over a hundred guards in this house. You may have been lucky to get this far, but I wouldn't trust that luck to hold, if I were you."

San met her gaze, making her own voice sound determined. "Then I'd better be careful."

"Some of us can go with you!" a woman in a saffron robe volunteered, sounding strangely cheerful.

"No," the leader snapped. "You'd be caught for sure. And if Asano or any of his guards finds out we've even helped this girl, we'll end up far worse than Mayuko." That made them all fall silent.

"It's best this way," San said. "I have to go alone." Trying to move stealthily through this house with them in tow would be like trying to steal a bone out from under a hungry wolf's paws. They'd be caught for sure. She made for the door, pressing her ear against it to listen for noises of movement out in the hall. Satisfied that it was safe to set out, she looked back at the group of women staring at her pensively. She felt pity for them.

She pushed open the doors and slipped out. She could still hear running footsteps and shouts above and around her, but only distantly. These fools had no idea how to hunt properly, making such a ruckus. That would make them easy to avoid, at least.

San had been in this house before, on her last attempt to kill the greedy warlord, but her memories of that night did little to serve her now. She had an idea of how to reach his rooms, but now that her presence had been discovered, she would have to steer clear of the guards. She was determined to kill Asano this night. She would not die until she did!

Twice she had to hide in adjoining rooms when the sound of footsteps came near. More often, though, she had to take alternate routes through corridors to avoid confrontation. Daggers clenched in her hands, she stalked over rugs and floorboards, limping, but silent. When a shape moved in the shadows, she turned on it fiercely, ready to slice at it with her weapons, but she smiled slightly, shaking her head, as a lean black cat stepped out into a patch of moonlight coming through the narrow window and walked off, as if it didn't even notice her there.

Up another flight of wooden stairs smelling heavily of polish she found another maze of rooms and halls. She couldn't help wondering why any human would need such a large den. It was completely senseless. She was certain Asano lived on this level, though. The sounds of the guards were less frequent now, but San wasn't willing to bet that they'd given up the search for her. Time was pressing down on her. She needed to find Asano and guts his worthless carcass fast if she had any hope of leaving this place in one piece herself.

At another corridor she leapt into an alcove as three mercenaries armed with swords but without lights raced by her. In their hurry, they didn't see her, though San's heart nearly beat its way out of her chest, it pounded so hard.

Before long, she peeked around the corner of a candle-illuminated hallway to see a cluster of men in red and white robes, heavily armed, assembled outside a set of elaborately carved double doors. Those she remembered. The doors parted and another mercenary—a tall man—left the room. He paused to exchange a few words with his comrades in a hushed whisper even she had difficulty making out. Whatever was said, the other guards nodded and took off down the hall. San took a step back; the mercenaries had their backs to her as they trotted off, but what if one looked over his shoulder in her direction? When sounds of their boots faded away, she looked again, and this time, only one guard remained, talking with the first, who returned into the bedchamber a moment later. San knew the god of luck was on her side. Asano must be fated to die that night by her hand, else why should things be going so smoothly her way? With only one guard left—two, including the one inside the bedchamber—she was a breath away from completing her vengeance.

San readied her daggers, and stepped out into the open.

Blood raced through Kaya's veins with every move, every breath she took. Her arms were tired, her hip was on fire, and her lungs ached. Everywhere she looked was madness. Men fought with swords, fired at each other with guns. Some of the rebels threw grenades haphazardly into pockets thick with fighting mercenaries, injuring and killing friend and foe alike. The air rang with explosions and the ringing of steel on steel. And always with screams. Anguished death wails that cut right to the core. Kaya was almost used to the sickening feel of her short sword in some mercenary's back or chest and the sight of blood. The sight of arms or legs being blown or hacked off. It was hell. It could be no other place.

Kenshin moved fluidly in front of, beside, behind her. He was a seasoned warrior. Killing was his business. He felled at least three men for every one of Kaya's. Sometimes his curved sword would swing what seemed a hair's breadth away from her face to strike down a mercenary bearing down on her. Kaya could move with a little more confidence with him around, but still, she was terrified.

The battle had spread out from the forge, moving in the direction of Lady Eboshi's manor house. Kaya thought it must be filling a quarter of the town by now, though it was not packed so tightly here on the streets lined with carpenter's workshops. Hundreds of people—thousands, in the case of Asano's army—all fighting just to survive a few moments longer. Dawn was a ways away yet, but blazing buildings set alight by rioting mercenaries and stray bombs shed light on the awful scene.

Kaya found herself facing a short mercenary roughly her own height. Eyes wide, Kaya's mind hardly focused on anything except blocking each blow and watching for an opening to stab him. He had a short sword like she, and the combat was close. Kaya tried pretending she was sparring with Ashitaka like she used to at home. He had taught her how to use a blade, long ago. Just pretend, she urged herself. Just like that time.

When her chance came, she lunged at the mercenary with all the strength she had. The mercenary made a sound that was half-croak, half-screech and flailed his arms wildly, dropping his weapon. Kaya turned aside, and the man's own weight carried him to the ground where he continued to twitch. Kaya did not even bother to wait to see if the wound to his chest was fatal. She moved on. Kenshin, dueling with a mercenary wielding a long-tipped spear, shot a quick glance at her and swung his sword around to catch his opponent in the neck. Then he trotted over to her, wordlessly following on to the next battle.

Kaya had no perception of time passing. All she knew was whether or not she was still alive and where she had to position her blade in the blink of an eye to keep from being cut down. Kenshin fought right along with her, as he promised. Watching over her. His dedication filled her with love, but even still, she wished her brother were there. She wanted to see him again so badly. Even if it was just one last time.

"Aaahh!" It took Kaya a couple of moments to realize the wail had come from her. Kenshin, occupied with not one but two of the red-coats only a few feet away, nearly lost his head when his concentration slipped. Kaya had just killed hers, or thought she had, but the man lying in his own pooling blood had managed to lash out with his sword and catch her behind the knee on her injured side. The sharp blade sliced cleanly through her flesh, and Kaya felt something there snap. Suddenly, she was stumbling to the ground, writing, mouth agape and silently screaming at the agony. She had seen a man hamstrung that very night. Now she knew what it felt like. The spear wound in her hip did not even compare.

It took everything she had to keep a grip on her weapon. The mercenary beside her was struggling to move closer to her to finish the job. As he raised his sword, ready to chop through her like a butcher at the block, Kaya kicked out at him with her good leg, landing her shoe square in his face. There was a stomach-turning crunch as she crushed his nose, but it awarded Kaya some small satisfaction. His shattered bones must have punctured his brain, for the sword dropped out of his gauntlet suddenly, and he collapsed like a rag doll.

Before she knew it, someone was bodily picking her up. Dazed, Kaya tried to take a swing at him with her fist; the arm with her short sword was pinned to her side. Her fist connected with flesh but was too weak to do much damage. She felt even more chagrined when she heard Kenshin's voice reprimanding her.

"Kaya, don't hit me. I'm not your enemy."

He had her tucked under his arm and was jogging away from the fray. Each step jolted Kaya, and her feet were dragging along the ground, but she was inwardly thankful for every pace put between her and the ongoing battle. Kenshin took to a narrow alley. When they were clear, he set her down. Kaya thought to give him the rough side of her tongue for handling her so rudely, but harsh words wouldn't solve anything. She put her weight on her good leg. The other was almost completely useless. And oh, how it hurt!

"It's no good," she heard Kenshin say. "You can't go on like that."

"I can still fight," Kaya insisted, though even she knew that was a foolish idea. The resistance was outnumbered—no matter how many mercenaries they took down, there were always half a dozen more to take their places.

"No, you're finished," he said, in a tone that would hear nothing more on the matter. Kaya was surprised. She was used to him obeying her orders. Now it looked like the tables had turned. Even more surprisingly, she didn't mind. She couldn't help throwing out one more argumentative "But….." but Kenshin was already wrapping his arm around her—at least he didn't turn her over this time—and hauling her away again. Kaya hopped along awkwardly on one foot, trying to ignore the searing pain filling her side.

She had no idea where Kenshin was taking her, and the samurai didn't seem to, either. His head swiveled left and right as they passed through alleys and across streets, often halting or making long detours to avoid the fighting. After a while, Kenshin stopped in front of a house not far from where they both used to live. Just a townsperson's house, and belonging to one well enough off to afford a second story. Kaya didn't know its owner well enough to put a name to it.

"This way," the samurai said, parting the doors and walking right in. Kaya looked both ways down the street one last time; for now it seemed they wouldn't be bothered. The house seemed abandoned. Its interior was dark but for pale moonlight coming in through the small windows. By the looks of the place it had already been ransacked. Perhaps the owner of it was a merchant; there were quite a few in Iron Town. Maybe the burglary would be a setback for the person. Then again, if that merchant was out in the streets, lying dead in his or her own blood, maybe not. At any rate, the place seemed to have been deserted. Many of Iron Town's people, too old or young, ill or injured to fight, were hiding out in houses like these, far from the battle. Kaya prayed they were still safe.

The two of them fumbled their way through the front room, occasionally tripping over or banging against upset furniture or scrolls or dishes. Kenshin found the staircase and helped Kaya hop up it, ever wary of danger, one hand always on the hilt of his sword. They peered into the handful of rooms down the hallway carefully, and when the samurai finally found one he must have liked, he brought Kaya in. This one was small and must have been a bedroom. In the dimness were scattered kimono and blankets. Feathers from shredded pillows looked like patches of snow on the floor. A battered doll lay on its back in the center of the room, perhaps the only witness to the perpetrators' identity.

Kenshin walked Kaya over to a half-gutted futon and helped her to settle down comfortably then knelt down next to her.

"You're badly hurt," he said. Kaya thought that should have been obvious. "Let me see your leg." He continued, "I'd find a light, but I don't want anyone to know we're here."

Though she could keenly feel the excruciating pain in her side from her previous wound in the hip all down the length of her leg, she couldn't move it. The request must have only been for permission, though, for almost immediately, Kenshin placed his hands on her calf, gently feeling the muscles and bones. Kaya sucked air through her teeth and clenched them tightly. His fingers moved up, probing the slash at the back of her knee, then began slipping up her thigh. Kaya, despite the agony, was momentarily struck by the strange thought that the samurai's hands could entirely encompass it. Just as she began to wonder just how far his hands would rove, Kenshin released her leg, sighing, and announced,

"At least you still have it. The artery hasn't been severed—you're fortunate in that—but the tendon's been sliced clean through. You'll never walk on it again without a cane or a crutch."

Kaya attempted a smile and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Could be worse, though, couldn't it? Could've been my head."

Kenshin nodded once. The quiet was interrupted by the sound of another cannon firing somewhere, off in the distance. Wordlessly he stood and began searching about the room. Kaya watched him saunter by the translucent moonlit panels on the wall and stoop to pick up a garment lying on the floor. His hand also hovered near the doll, and after a moment, he picked that up, too, and brought them to Kaya. Kneeling again, he handed her the doll and began calmly tearing the clothing—a silk haori—into strips.

"We'll need more than that," Kaya commented quietly. "You've got a few cuts yourself."

"Mere scrapes," the samurai answered her. She was pleased to see a faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth in the dimness as he began to bind up her new injuries. It took some time. Kaya was mildly surprised that she had so many.

"Where are you hurt?" she asked him when he was finished. It took some coaxing—some rather obstinate coaxing—to get him to push back his loose sleeve to expose a lightly bleeding gash the length of one of her fingers just below his shoulder on his left arm. It really didn't look that bad, but Kaya bandaged it anyway. "That's not the only one, is it?"

"The only one I bother to feel," he answered, again with that strange almost-smile. "My shirt's taken the worst of it."

Kaya pursed her lips. Men. They were all the same—stubborn as mules without even trying. Well, she had to admit that he was much more skillful with a blade than she. He didn't have to be so off-handed about it, though. Kaya turned the doll over in her hand, examining it. It was dressed in its own silk kimono, with tiny wooden sandals attached to its feet. Its hair—too fine to be any average child's doll—was disheveled. Her eyes could barely make out a painted smile on its face. Kaya wondered where the owner of the doll was, and also wondered if there was a little girl out there, huddling frightened in a closet or deep in a cellar, crying for her.

"I have to go back," she murmured. "The battle's not over yet." Would it ever end, she wondered? Would she ever wake up from this nightmare come to life?

"You'll die for sure if you do," Kenshin said bluntly. "You won't be able to stand, let alone wield a sword or a gun."

Kaya cast her gaze to the floor. "I know. But…..but I have to do something." Do what? She'd seen many people injured in the close-quarter, vicious battle, had pulled as many of them as she could to safety, admonishing them to stay low and try to conserve their strength even as they lay there bleeding to death.

"You've done enough."

But would it be enough? The resistance was outnumbered and falling fast. All their clever tricks and determination could only get them so far against an enemy five times their number. Kaya was still alive. The resistance needed her. That was enough cause to keep on fighting.

"Kenshin, wha—what are you doing?" The samurai, ripping more strips from the doll owner's kimonos, took both of her wrists in his larger hand and began winding the cloth around them. His shadowed face was calm and focused, and he gave her no response. Kaya tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

"Kenshin, what are you doing?" she asked again, her voice rising in pitch. The samurai appeared unconcerned as he tightened and knotted the long silk strips then tore another off to begin working on her ankles. Kaya gave up struggling—moving too much made her injuries hurt all over again. So instead, she had to sit there sulking as Kenshin bound her hand and foot like a freshly killed deer.

"I don't think all this is really necessary," she said to him through gritted teeth. He was obviously trying to be gentle, but obviously didn't want to make it easy for her to free herself. He probably thought he'd won the argument. Kaya had a mouthful ready to unleash on him—he was supposed to be her bodyguard, not her captor!—but what could she do, really? Bite him, maybe.

He finished quickly and then sat back, surveying his work. Kaya glared at him with all the force she could muster, but it was of no use.

"How do you expect to keep me safe if you leave me here? You are going to leave, aren't you?"

Kenshin picked up the doll that, during her writhing, had fallen out of her lap and onto the floor. He placed it in her bound hands.

"I know how much these people mean to you, how much this place means to you. I will go on. I will fight like two men, more, for your sake, and for these people you love." He got to his feet, but not before leaning forward to plant a light, tender kiss on her lips. "This is the safest place for you to be. Please, Kaya, stay here."

And in mere seconds, he turned, strode out of the room, and was gone. Kaya sat there frozen, staring in the direction he'd gone. The sounds of his footsteps gradually disappeared, and all she could hear now were the faraway sounds of battle outside.

"Ken…..Kenshin….." Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. Another cannon fired, not more than half a mile away she guessed. Kaya, suddenly seized by a surge of adrenaline, began working her wrists in saw-like motions, trying to pull them free of the samurai's handiwork. After several fruitless minutes, it became all too apparent that Kenshin knew what he was doing.

Then it occurred to her. The short sword! Kaya touched her bound hands to her waist and gasped in surprise when they only brushed her dirty, bloodied clothing. Where was the sword? She felt around the floor close to her, but it was nowhere to be found. He must have taken that, too. Kaya growled, tears of pain and frustration brimming in her eyes. The samurai was taking no chances that she'd free herself. She set her teeth to the silk, gnawing away determinedly at the tiny woven strands. After a couple of minutes, her jaw tired, she sat back to examine her progress. There was a small hole in the tightly tied strips, but her hopes were falling swiftly. The samurai certainly didn't intend for her to follow him anytime soon.

"You'd better not get yourself killed," she whispered. She repeated his name—and Ashitaka's—to herself as she again furiously pulled and writhed with renewed vigor.

Another cannon sounded.

Eboshi stared grimly at the line of mercenaries massing yet again for a charge. The smoke from the last blast hadn't even cleared yet. She stood amidst the largest pocket of the resistance, backed by several dozen men and women with bows and slings, shooting arrows and launching small cement grenades. At the forefront was a squat, cast-iron cannon, the author of the worst carnage immediately in the center of the enemy's forces. They'd long run out of shot. Now they had to pack grenades, knives, rocks…..anything their scavengers could find from the surrounding stores or what the re-suppliers could bring in from the forge. The massive pyramid-like structure loomed beside them, a dark, forbidding shape against the barely lightening sky. Between giving orders to the rows of men and women to shoot and reload, her eyes often wandered to it. Her people had lost it once and rebuilt it. Who would be left to rebuild Iron Town after this night? She turned his gaze back to the scene of battle, where mercenaries pulled their fallen and dead out of the way to make room for a charge. Eboshi sneered. Asano's paid cutthroats were battle trained, but he doubted they had more than a few wits among their ranks of thousands. Perhaps their superior numbers made their own individual lives worth losing. Her informants brought her word from time to time of their numbers. Asano's forces were decreasing, either from heavy casualties or men deserting—the wisest move they could make, in her estimation—but there were still far too many left to fight. The resistance had taken casualties itself. Too many. As it was, they were holding on to their cause by their fingernails.

"My Lady, that's everything." A young woman hardly older than twelve or thirteen ran up to her. She was one of the many women whose responsibility it was to make sure there was still something, anything, to load into the cannons. "All we've got left now are the guns."

Eboshi pursed her lips and drew her eyes away to study the scene.

"Alright. Run along to Yohko and Toki. Tell them to wait for my signal, then we'll charge again."

The girl made a visible effort to maintain a steady visage, and she nodded.

"Where shall I tell them to fall back to, my Lady?" she inquired.

Eboshi's gaze lingered on the battle. The archers had just fired their last round of arrows into the crowd. They'd have to venture out into the fray if they wanted to recover any of them.

"Tell them there will be no retreat this time. This is it."

The girl's stunned silence seemed strangely out of place amidst the cacophony of yelling and screaming. Eboshi faced her and said, perhaps a bit too harshly,

"Are you waiting for a bullet to hit you? Go!"

The girl jumped up like she'd been shocked and immediately took off, weaving her way through the melee. Eboshi felt a tinge of regret watching her. She shouldn't have been so rough. But even so, she thought, unsheathing her curved sword, this night would not be gentle for any of them.

"Gonza," she murmured over her shoulder to the man behind her. Always the faithful bodyguard, he remained at her side. She wanted to shake her head at the man's stubbornness. He'd jump right into the Lake of Blood if it was on her heels. It was rather…..touching…..yet it could not—it would not—be so for much longer. "I have special orders for you."

"Whatever you command, my Lady," he responded in his permanently rough tone.

"I want you to take charge of this front."

"My Lady?" He was clearly confused.

"I have an errand to run. With luck, I'll be back shortly. And Gonza, don't follow me."

She caught a glimpse of his startled expression as she swept away. Her soldiers also directed baffled stares at her. She repeated the order of "Follow Gonza for now" as she went.

It was a losing battle, one that was nearly lost. Her mind, always calculating her options, was coming up with very few clever ideas. They'd already exhausted most of their guerilla tactics, and now they were running short of man and firepower as well. Surrender was always an option, but not one she would pursue while she still had any breath left in her body.

She touched her wide belt absently, feeling for the dagger hilt and a long, slender object hidden under it. A few more tricks yet.

Perhaps the sun would rise on Iron Town's defeat. What would be left of it when Asano once again took control? She wanted to spit at the thought. She strode down the street, past several of her own people running in the opposite direction. They eyed her with confusion and faltered in their steps. Eboshi glared at them sternly while her heart ached for them and the predicament she was leaving them in. There was little she could do for them now. Her hand unconsciously returned to her belt, feeling for her weapons. The last of her leverage was slipping away. Perhaps she could find some advantage in the little she had left.

There was one tunnel, dug long ago by her forbears, that only she knew about. It ran from a weaver's shop a quarter mile away from her former home straight to the manor's deepest root cellar. If she could get there without trouble, get into her old house swiftly, then she had a chance to maybe cripple her enemy. One chance.

Her messengers had brought word to her that the deserters had gone straight for the manor. A lot of good they could do with their numbers, but they might at least be a distraction. But if any of her people saw her, recognized her, her last strategy would fail for certain. No, she needed to go unseen, as a knife in the shadows.

This one final chance must succeed, or absolutely everything she had spent her life building up would be lost.

Behind the curtained windows and thick, fortress-like walls, Asano could almost disregard the continuous noise of gunfire and cannons outside in the town. It had been going on for some hours now. He was frankly surprised that the rebels were holding up so well. He would have thought his thousands of mercenaries both within and without the town could crush them with ease, but they had held their ground with tenacious audacity and their innovative little surprises. Well, he had fought cannons before. He knew how to handle rifles. And swords were as much a part of him as his own arms. His mercenaries may not all be the well-trained, obedient soldiers he was used to, but surely they would overpower Eboshi's puny resistance before too long. Surely.

There was a knock at the door, and he looked up from the sheets of parchment detailing the damage done to the mines and the mills. He always hated paperwork, ever since he was young, the governor of a small province. He felt much more enlivened on the battlefield. His secretary had been most unfortunately killed in the attack on the main barracks while paying out the salaries. Asano made a mental note to appoint a new one as soon as could be conveniently arranged.

A knock at the door drew his attention. He leaned back in his chair, not even looking towards the door. He supposed the interruption was a blessing to save him from his wearying chore, though he felt more than a little perturbed that these raps on his chamber door were coming far more frequently now.

"What is it now?" he called out, even as the carved wooden doors parted. One of his guards put his veiled face in.

"My Lord, it would seem we are under attack," he said in a tight, but young-sounding voice.

"What else is new?" Asano replied in bored tones, lacing his fingers together over his belly.

The guard's eyes looked mildly affronted over his veil. Asano thought he saw his knuckles whiten on the spear haft in his hand.

"My Lord, they are at our very door."

Asano responded by lifting his legs up to rest his boots on the desk. Perhaps that was what the shouting downstairs had been about. He sighed loudly.

"How many are we dealing with?"

"Not more than a few dozen, my Lord, but more keep coming."

"Are they armed?"

"Not with anything more than a few rifles, bows, and swords."

Asano rolled his eyes. And pitchforks and farm tools and rocks and whatever else these pathetic peasants could scrounge up. Well, he was beginning to hate surprises.

"Very well. Increase the guards at the entrances and send a contingent out into the yard to deal with these ruffians. And double the guard outside my apartments. And have some more wine sent up. Something that doesn't taste like watered down urine this time." Asano had been down to the wine cellar himself before. Eboshi had never been much of a believer in the great art of brewing. The few casks that been here when he arrived were nearly all gone. As soon as he could get his hands on the new liquor from the supply train—what was taking it so long anyway?!—Asano would get so drunk he could sleep through an explosion greater than the one that had ruptured the great gate. "And another thing," he added as the guard nodded compliantly and began to withdraw, "Don't bother me again unless it's important."

"Yes, my Lord," the guard answered, again a bit tightly before disappearing behind the door, shutting it tight.

Before long, the door opened again, admitting one of his handpicked maidservants attired in a yellow silk kimono. Asano saw the same guard as before admitting her. In her hands was a tray with a goblet and a full jug of rice wine balanced on it. Asano welcomed the sight of a drink so much that he gave little thought to the woman. The papers on his desk showed little progress. For some time Asano had occupied himself with listening to the exchange outside his window in his yard, even getting up out of his chair to watch for a few moments at a time. A small rabble. Hardly anything to be concerned about.

"It's about time—" he began, then his eyes widened at the sight of the tall glass bottle on the tray. It wasn't Iron Town's own make, by the shape of it, and had to have been imported. He looked to the girl, who had already gotten down on her knees to proffer her wares.

"Has the convoy arrived yet?"

The girl looked down meekly, avoiding his gaze.

"No, my Lord," she said quietly. "But Keiko found some of the finer wines in a private stash of Lady Eboshi's." That concluded her commentary, and she raised up the tray, head bowed. Asano uncorked it then poured himself a glass. Keiko. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place which one of the girls it belonged to. It wasn't of any matter anyway. He didn't know the names of most of them. He sat back, wafting the glass under his nose, drinking in the comforting scent of the liquor. If that convoy didn't arrive soon…..He chuckled. He might very well be tempted to leave town himself to find a drink. Azo was well reputed for its ales. If it wasn't for this accursed insurrection, that convoy might already be here by now.

He paused in touching the glass to his lips. The girl holding the tray up for him, still with her face aimed at the floor, was trembling slightly. Not from the weight of the tray, though, judging by the perspiration gathering on her cheeks and forehead. Was it warm in here? Asano looked up to see that the young guard had entered and was standing at attention by the doorway. Under normal circumstances, Asano would have groaned at the thought of more unpleasant news. But these circumstances suddenly smelled far from normal.

"Tell me," he addressed the girl, swirling the rice wine around in the glass and looking at it as though it was interesting. "How is Keiko?"

The girl looked up, quite obviously startled.

"She's…..fine, my Lord. She's resting in the women's quarters." She stared at him, puzzled, for a few moments before remembering her place and casting her gaze down once more.

"And how about yourself? I haven't been visited by you for some time. Over a week, I think. Are you feeling well?"

"I am well, my Lord, thank you," she replied, determinedly not meeting his eyes. Her voice, however, betrayed how unsettled she was. Asano turned to the guard next.

"You, soldier. What is your report?"

The veiled man straightened, looking as though he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't, and leaned on the haft of his spear.

"The guerrillas are rather persistent. They're shooting, throwing about anything they can at us, even trying to set fire to the place, but our men are keeping them at bay."

"Very good," Asano said. He settled back in his chair comfortably, setting the bottle of rice wine back on the girl's tray, and held the glass out towards the soldier across the room. "You're to be commended for your diligence. Allow me to offer you some wine."

The guard stared at the cup for a moment before responding.

"No, my Lord, but thank you. I must attend to my duties."

Asano raised an eyebrow and shrugged haplessly. "No? Alright then." He pushed it in front of the kneeling girl's face. "How about you?"

The girl, going cross-eyed, jerked so hard she almost spilled the tray. She may as well have been recoiling from a venomous serpent hissing in her face. Asano frowned.

"You, neither? That's a pity." Getting to his feet, almost lazily, he quickly reached for a dagger hidden about his clothes, one of many, this one tucked behind the hem of his coat, and sent it flying. There was silence for almost a full second before the wine girl let out a strangled-sounding scream. The veiled guard standing beside the doorway, party to a failed assassination, gurgled his last breath and wrapped his hands around the slim blade buried in his throat. His spear clattered to the floor, and he followed just after, landing in a heap. The girl with the tray of wine—Asano still did not know her name; that hardly mattered now, he reflected—scrambled in an attempt to flee, dropping both wine and tray. Asano grabbed for her wrist before she could flee, catching her tightly. Some of the wine he still held spilled over his fingers.

"Let go of me!" the girl began to shout. "Please! Please don't kill me!" Despite her begging, she tried scratching at him with her nails, and even tried to sink her teeth into his arm. With one quick, wrenching motion, he broke the girl's wrist. Her eyes bulged, and her mouth worked for several seconds before she began gasping and panting, each breath becoming a louder scream. Ignoring her wailing, Asano dragged her roughly across the floor then yanked her to her feet and forced her onto his bed, letting go of her arm and instead seizing her throat.

"Please…..!" she continued to gasp. "Please spare me!"

Asano barked a short, harsh laugh.

"Spare you? Do you expect anything more of me than what you were prepared to deliver yourself? Were you sent by the rebels?" It all made perfect sense to him, but a confession from the pathetic, would-be assassin's own mouth would have been rather satisfying. Clever little insects they were. Always full of surprises.

"I was…..sent….." she uttered in pain-wracked croaks, "…..by….."

Asano almost didn't notice her unbroken arm curling up into the wide sleeve of her silk robe, but when it lashed out at him, this time with a short knife of her own in hand, he had to jump back to avoid getting his face slashed. Before the girl could push herself up to either fight or escape, Asano unsheathed his sword and in one swipe disarmed her, sending her puny blade flying across the room to land near the dead guard who was no doubt her accomplice. Asano lunged at the girl again and beat her across the face with the hilt of his sword, almost knocking her from the pillows. Asano drove his sword into the feather futon and reached for the stunned girl again. She struggled against him weakly, dazed, not even able to focus her eyes properly. Asano pried open her mouth and tipped the lip of the glass of rice wine over it. The last remaining drops rushed down her throat, and she coughed, choking on it. Asano clamped his hand over her mouth to keep her from spitting it up. She lay there prone for over a minute, and then her eyes snapped open, and she convulsed like one afflicted with seizures. Asano kept her pinned down firmly while she thrashed and moaned. And then, quite suddenly, she went limp against the sheets, eyes glazing over with the veil of death. Asano straightened and looked at the glass in his hand. Potent stuff indeed. Eboshi certainly didn't want to risk failure. Well, her scheming had fallen short. When he found out which of the women had managed to get her hands on the poison, he'd have her drawn and quartered. The insolence! In a flare of rage, rage tinged with just the smallest drop of fear—fear that he could have ended up like the paling girl on his bed if not for a glance—he threw the glass against the wall. It shattered into pieces.

He stood there for a few moments, chest heaving with growing fury, then his head swiveled towards the door.

"GUARDS!" he bellowed. Where were his guards? Why had they not rushed to his rescue, alerted by the commotion? They could not all be party to this attempt to murder him, else they would have come in to finish the job. He took a few steps towards the flower and bird-carved doors when they parted. Asano froze in his tracks, astonished.

The Devil was at his door.

Azuma wrinkled his nose at the overpowering stench of burning wood and sulfur. His contingent, soldiers and mercenaries in red and white in varying conditions—some looked as fresh as the morning dew, though very few, and many others appeared to have been run through a meat grinder—milled about him. The town square inside the vanished gate was packed with men, and more were squeezing in by the second, often supporting injured comrades. He turned his eyes skyward to see the towering plumes of smoke still ascending into the night sky, lit up by the flames consuming the gate. Much of the debris had fallen on surrounding houses, and those, too, were lit up like beacons, blazing brightly.

He moved out of the trickle of men and took up position beside a wide-rimmed well in the corner of the square. He let down the bucket and hauled it up again, drinking deeply of the cool water it contained. He splashed some of it onto his dripping face. The heat of the fires was enough to roast a man this close, he felt. He stood and appraised the extent of the damage done by his men. It had taken hours to carry enough gunpowder from the camp to the gates, and losing men to the constant harassment of wild beasts had not made the task any easier.

Still, despite the losses, the battle on the field was turning in their favor. Azuma was reluctant to give Princess Mononoke's motley array of animals any credit, but it did seem they were intelligent enough to see they could not win a fight against their human superiors. Azuma would very much have liked to remain on the battlefield until every last creature crawling or flying was dead at his feet, but the situation in the town was growing severe. It was time to face human foes now. More familiar to him, but much more difficult.

"General!" Yamajima Hojo, a sub-captain of the Water rank called his name and was now running for him. Azuma dropped the bucket back down into the well where it landed with a healthy splash.

"What is your report, sub-captain?" Azuma inquired as the man approached and made his respects.

"I've just been up in the watchtower," Yamajima said quickly, pointing towards a section of gate that had not yet caught fire. "The approaching enemy—I can hardly bring myself to call it an army—is covering ground too quickly for us to get all our men in. The Earth rank is still exposed for the most part, and the Fire is still working to get all their casualties in, as you can see. Not only that, but the supply wagons are approaching. If the enemy reaches them first….."

Azuma narrowed his eyes to study the flow of men passing through the burning sections of gate. Too slow. With the narrow land bridge the only passage into Iron Town, his troops were taking far too much time entering the town. And there was still opposition in this town to suppress. The insurgents harried him from both sides. His reports told him that the rebels' reinforcements that had appeared out of the forests were not large, not by any stretch of the imagination. But they might be enough to whittle down the Earth and Fire ranks still trying to get inside the town.

"My Lord Azuma!" A rider burst out into the square, sending men scattering, and drew rein before him and the sub-commander. "The fortress is under heavy attack! The rebels have retreated from the forge and are gathering in the eastern district. Our own forces have taken heavy damage, but they are in pursuit. What are your orders, my Lord?"

Azuma raised an eyebrow in faint disbelief. Simple and outnumbered these town folk might be, but they could hold their own surprisingly well. But were they really foolish enough to try attacking the manor with the enemy at their backs?

"Send word to all the commanders, or as many as you can find. Reform the ranks. Get as many horse-mounted in the front as you can and begin marching for the east district. Cut down any rebels you see, but stay in formation!" They would squash this rebellion in one fell swoop. He himself was growing quite tired of this whole affair.

"Yes, my Lord," the rider replied. He booted his mount's flanks and galloped off quickly to fulfill his orders.

"I shall go as well," Yamajima announced, "and meet you there at the front." He spoke boldly, with an attitude that, in any other officer, might have been as overstepping his bounds. But Yamajima and Azuma had known each other for over twenty years, fighting together in battles all throughout Japan. Were he in charge of appointing his officers instead of Asano, Yamajima would have been promoted to rank commander over a decade ago. Azuma trusted his judgment and rarely overrode him. He noticed that his friend was looking towards the gate. Azuma knew what was passing through his head.

"Focus on the task at hand. We may not have a castle exactly to defend, but our duty to Lord Asano still runs just as deep. Gather your own units and head for the manor house." He made himself smile. "The sun will rise on our inevitable victory."

Seeming encouraged, the sub-captain bowed briskly.

"Yes, my Lord. Fortune be with your sword." He promptly ran across the courtyard to rally his soldiers. Azuma watched him for only a moment and then his face molded back into its customary frown. The mercenaries Asano had insisted on bringing he could hardly care less for. But how many of his good, loyal soldiers, friends well-trained and proven, would he lose in this mess? He spat on the ground.

'Asano, you've been too long off the battlefield,' he thought with displeasure as he watched men begin scurrying throughout the courtyard, the slower ones marking the poorly disciplined mercenaries. 'How many of my men is this mess worth to you?'

The lone sentry outside of Asano's den did not notice her immediately. His attention was drawn by the loud explosion that sounded close outside the great house's wooden exterior. The hairs along San's neck and arms rose, but she recovered herself quickly, dagger flying end over end in a blur at the mercenary. Alerted by the whirring sound, he turned, only to catch it between the eyes. He stared at her with a dumbstruck expression for several disturbing moments before toppling over, dead, the shocked expression still vividly painted on his face. San was stealthily running over to him before he collapsed, bracing her foot against his temple to extricate her weapon. Not bothering to clean it off, she pressed her back to Asano's door, listening carefully for whether the inhabitants were alarmed by the sound. To her surprise, she heard a scuffle taking place inside and the scream of a woman. San glanced back down the hall. The other guards had not yet returned. She guessed they were all on the lower level dealing with the fight there. San had to hand it to Eboshi's people, creating such a nice diversion for those men.

She listened closely, ear pressed to the door for several moments. The woman, whoever she was, seemed to be the loser. Her muffled words and cries eventually subsided. San had no way of telling how many people were with Asano now. One? Two? Or even more?

No matter. It would all come to an end now. His life…..or hers.

San reached for the latch, blood-stained dagger ready in her other hand, and threw her weight against the door, snarling. A dead guard she recognized lay in her path; she leapt over him and charged straight for Asano. Asano's surprised expression quickly transformed into a visage of anger. Moving like a snake, he reached over the body of a dead woman for a sword, raising it in just enough time to block San's thrust. Whipping out her other, borrowed knife, San beat at him and blocked his swings. The sounds of their blades meeting mingled with their shouts and growls. San's mind focused solely on her opponent, watching for openings and leaping away to safety when his longer weapon clove the air, seeking her blood. Asano quickly moved away from the bed. San jumped up onto the dead woman's body then threw herself down as Asano's sword swept over her head. Before she could regain her feet, though, Asano's boot smashed into her face, stunning her. Reeling back, she instinctively rolled over the bed and heard the soft thunk of a sword piercing the plump futon, down to the floor. Her leg complained as she jumped up and sprang back at Asano before her vision was entirely clear. To her surprise, he did not meet her knives with his, but instead turned aside to step into the clear. Letting out a feral growl, San pursued him.

Along the far wall was a rack bearing several swords in varying lengths. Asano hastily picked one and took a swipe at her with it, even though it still wore its hard sheath.

"What do I have to do to get rid of you?" Asano shouted, swinging his blade and the shorter sword at her with renewed fury. San had to concentrate her strength on defending herself. Asano had the longer reach, and his thick arms delivered powerful blows that were already beginning to tire her. Just as San found a slight but open gap at which to strike, before she could even move for it, something small and fast flew past her nose, bouncing off of Asano's armguard as he lifted his sword to try and take a piece of her. San jerked back and readied her knives for another of the warlord's attacks, but to her astonishment, Asano, glancing towards the opposite corner of the room, ran past her for the door, boots stomping loudly. San stared, and her eyes barely spotted another whizzing thing, like a bird, but far quicker, hitting the doorpost and sticking in it. She whirled around, jaw almost dropping at the sight of Eboshi emerging from the wall, a small, thin tube half the length of her forearm in hand. The gunwoman scowled, throwing it away. It landed close to the dead woman's corpse, but Eboshi did no more than pass her eyes over her. She slammed the small door—to San it looked like just a painted panel identical to the rest in the room. Clever weasel, San thought angrily. So many secret hideaways.

"Asano is mine!" San shouted at her before turning to sprint after the escaping warlord. Her anger was so great she could almost ignore the arrow wound in her leg. Dashing out into the hall, she saw the flicker of a shadow at the far end of the dimly lit corridor. She took off after it, gait uneven. She heard Eboshi running behind her. Darting a glance over her shoulder, she saw the woman tug on the hilt of a long knife tucked snugly under her obi, wielding it deftly in her only hand. San wanted to scream at her, but her quarry was getting away. She would have to deal with Eboshi later.

The older woman caught up easily, uninjured as she was. San resisted the urge to lash out at her with her own crude knife.

"Asano will head for higher ground. The whole house surrounded. He can run, and he can hide," she continued between breaths, "but he can't escape." She sped up, disheveled hair streaming out behind her like a long, black banner, and rounded the first corner. San had no choice but to follow in the gunwoman's wake, cursing between breaths.

The chase took them through the maze-like floor, the highest in the massive house, down corridors and through rooms. It seemed deserted except for them. San supposed all of the guards were down below dealing with Eboshi's friends. The sounds of gunfire were still present outside.

After another corner, San saw Eboshi disappear up a narrow, spiraling flight of iron stairs. Panting, leg almost numb from pain and weariness, San doggedly pursued her. When she came to the top, she emerged into a cool breeze. The not quite darkness of early dawn prevailed in the sky, but San could easily make out two figures locked in battle on the rooftop. Eboshi was not faring well. Even one-handed, she was an adept fighter—San was loath to admit it—and parried and thrust fluidly, like she was dancing. But Asano's blades outnumbered hers, and she increasingly had to defend herself as Asano began to drive her towards the edge of the flat roof. San was repulsed to help her, but even more distasteful would be letting Eboshi take her revenge first, though it looked like that was becoming more and more unlikely as the warlord assaulted her with a barrage of blows. Hardening her resolve, San dashed out to continue her own personal fight.

Asano had not risen to his position as leader of his tribe by being weak—she knew that. He might be stupid, but as San joined the skirmish, he turned on her with his long sword. Eboshi recovered and rejoined them, forcing Asano to shift to keep them both in front of him. San growled lividly. Never in her whole life did she think she'd be fighting side by side with the devil woman Eboshi. She chose to ignore the other woman and kept fighting relentlessly, as though she and Asano were the only ones on the rooftop.

San lost track of how much time passed. Surely it was only a few heartbeats, a few breaths, but they seemed to stretch out. It couldn't have been long, judging by the sky, yet neither she nor Eboshi were able to lay their blades on his body. Asano was fresher than they, and stronger. Try as she might, she wasn't able to find any holes in his defense, no opportunities to strike at flesh not covered by his light armor. She actually gave a cry as Asano's shorter sword raked her upraised arm. San did not pause in her own offensive, but she was startled to hear the sound of a blade clattering to the roof and the older woman's anguished voice. Hastily glimpsing out of the corner of her eye, San was shocked to see Eboshi's arm extending out the sleeve of her shirt, ending suddenly in a bloody stump. San quickly refocused as Asano launched himself at her full on, now no longer having to divide his attention.

"Eboshi!" San shouted. Not out of concern for the woman who had dropped to her knees, gasping, blood dripping from her wrist. As Asano beat down on her ferociously, San felt her little remaining strength beginning to ebb. She had to dance away from Asano's longer, stronger sword as the stocky warlord began advancing.

Sweat streaming down her face, turning cold in the morning air, San bared her teeth and struck out at Asano as tempestuously as she could. He met her every blow with a leering smile. Now she was only lashing out haphazardly, and the sense of her own weakness filled her with bitter fury. She almost didn't notice a biting sting in her ribs, just below her breast, but by the time she realized what had happened, she was staggering. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed Eboshi struggling to her feet, swaying unsteadily.

"What's this? Haven't had enough yet, Eboshi?" Asano mocked, obviously encouraged by the fact the two women fighting him were bleeding heavily and practically spent. "You don't have too many limbs left to lose!"

Eboshi took slow, uneven steps towards them. San thrust her blades at Asano, and he brushed them away with his sword like he was swatting at an insect.

"Pitiful," he muttered as she was knocked down. She dropped one of her blades and touched her free hand to her side. It burned like fire, and even her breathing was like heavy smoke.

"It's only flesh," Eboshi countered acidly, pain evident in her voice. Her pale face was white, her blue eyes flashing with rage. She made it over to San and dropped down to her knees, catching herself on her elbow. "You must kill him, Princess Mononoke," she managed to say through gritted teeth, face painted with pain. "Take your revenge, and mine, too."

"This is ridiculous," Asano uttered, and, striking out like a snake, he pierced her in the back, dead center. The gulping croak that escaped Eboshi's lips made San's stomach turn. Asano scowled and thrust the blade even deeper, almost to the hilt.

"Surrender yet?" he asked mockingly, suddenly yanking it out again. Eboshi's dark red blood dripped from it. San looked through blurring vision to see Eboshi's wide blue eyes rolled back into her skull as she fell forward onto San, weighing her down.

"Fool woman," Asano grunted, flicking Eboshi's blood off his weapon.

"NOOOOO!!!" A man's deep, roaring voice drew both of their gazes to the trap door leading down into the lower levels of the house. San's head was foggy. She thought she recognized the stern jaw and bald head of the man storming up onto the roof, a long sword like Asano's in hand, but she couldn't keep her mind focused on anything but her weariness, her pain, and the feel of wet blood streaming down her skin.

Asano's head swiveled to face the newcomer.

"What now?" he grumbled under his breath, readying his sword for combat again. San faintly heard the ringing of steel on steel, but she could barely sense where it was coming from. She felt so weak, like her life was flowing out of her, like water breaking through a dam.

With some effort, she pushed Eboshi's motionless body off of her. The moment she did, she felt something grab her hand, and she was hauled to her feet. Her dagger plunged into a man's back—into Asano's back—right through his heart. The warlord stood up on his toes, croaking, and dropped his sword, just as another blade pierced him from the front—a long sword that narrowly missed San's face by inches. San's hand slipped off the hilt of her dagger, covered in warm, fresh blood, and she collapsed. As her eyelids grew heavier, she saw Asano topple, and she knew he was dead. She raised her gaze, and the bald man's surprised face met it for a second. She didn't have the strength to even smile in gloating satisfaction. The last thing she remembered was the bald man, ignoring the dead warlord completely, cradling Eboshi's lifeless form just an arm's length away. His wailing sobs lingered in her ears even after she plummeted into unconsciousness.

Azuma, ringed by a small contingent of foot soldiers, rode at a brisk trot down the nearly deserted streets of the upper eastern district of Iron Town. Eboshi's—now Lord Asano's—fortress-like abode loomed dark in the distance, an ominous shadow against the brightening sky. The breeze blew the heavy odors of smoke and sulfur through the alleyways, carrying the familiar sounds of battle to his ears. He and his men kept wide of the skirmishes taking place here and there throughout the town, but were all alert, weapons at the ready in case of an attack. Most of the people they saw lining the roads were dead—his men and villagers alike, mingling like bedfellows. Otherwise, they were dying, having crawled away from the hottest parts of the battle to have a few moments of peace before leaving this world. His men slew the townspeople they encountered still clinging to life along the way. Azuma saw no real threat from them—they were at Death's door with no escape—but he gave no order for them to desist, even when they happened upon rebels barely over puberty. His orders were not to spare the enemy, no matter how small and effeminate they were.

His own he looked on a bit more sadly. The blank, staring faces of his soldiers—many of whom he knew, or at least recognized—littered the packed dirt streets as numerously as did the peasants. The passage became more difficult the closer they got to the great house, now the center of the main battle. The yelling and the gunfire, the latter not so common now as at first, was much closer and more concentrated. He noticed several buildings burning nearby, torched perhaps for no reason. He turned his attention towards the manor house, his "castle." Here was the next battle. Just another in the long list of them he had fought in his life. A matter of course, for him.

He kept his sword poised and ready for whatever might come. His eyes scanned the alleyways on either side. It was becoming easier to see with dawn approaching. His prediction may very well come true. At the head of his column, he rounded a corner boldly then pulled up short. Straight ahead, finishing off a thrashing, shouting mercenary, was an enormous white wolf. Hesitating for only a split second, he heeled his mount forward. No overgrown dog was going to stand in his way. Azuma was prepared to finish what he'd started out on the field.

"First and second rows, take aim!" he commanded his men. They immediately complied, the first line of men kneeling and drawing back their bowstrings, the soldiers behind them standing and raising their bows. Before the words even left his lips, the wolf looked up from its now still victim. He could have sworn there was recognition in its large amber eyes. In a flash the wolf was pelting down the street, a white blur on four feet, coming straight for him. The dozen or more bolts that whistled past him flew at the beast, almost all of them making their mark. The wolf stumbled, but continued to charge forward. Azuma's eyes widened in surprise. Why wasn't it dead? His archers prepared a second volley, and he himself gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. Just another battle.

The white wolf leapt at him, jaws opened wide.

A gentle breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves that still clung determinedly to mangy branches of cedar and oak. The towering pines stirred as if they were awakening from the long night's slumber. The breeze blew thin, stringy clouds across the lightening sky, herding them towards the dark haze on the eastern horizon where an unavoidable battle would no doubt take place. Ashitaka couldn't smell the burning yet, upwind as he was. The cool gusts pushed at his back, and even Yakkuru sensed his urgency, galloping as quickly as he could. His hoof beats were dull on the narrow, loam-strewn road, his ragged breathing all but drowning out the sound. Ashitaka's own breath came quickly, harshly. The thin smoke spreading out over the sky worried him. He prayed there was something still of Iron Town left for him. He mentally urged his red elk to run even faster.

Abruptly, the end of the road came into view, and they burst out over the crest of the steeply sloping hill leading down to the crescent-shaped field bordering the familiar lake. Without thought, Ashitaka hauled back on the reins, making Yakkuru groan in consternation and dig his hooves into the dew-damp grass. The elk eventually slowed and loped easily down the rest of the hill. Ashitaka pushed himself up in the saddle with his knees and stared in horror at the spectacle below. Pitch black smoke rose from a portion of Iron Town's smoldering gates and in patches throughout the eastern district. He could only dimly hear the sounds of battle, blown away from him by the seemingly teasing breeze. As his eyes swept over the field, his heart panged inside his chest at the sight of fallen men and animals. Most, but not all, of the men wore Asano's colors, many with armor. There were many more dead beasts—some unimaginably huge—scattered around. Ashitaka gaped at the carcass of an enormous eagle lying talons-up at the end of a long track of torn up earth. Creatures of all shapes and sizes lay immobile all around. Yakkuru seemed to sense his distress and shook his massive horns, grunting. Ashitaka forced his dry mouth to close and swallowed.

Was San down there somewhere?

The teeming motions at the town's gates didn't escape his attention. It appeared that the battle was still in action, but only in scattered pockets here and there. It was practically over, and Ashitaka felt a knot of dread in his stomach when he considered who the victor probably was. Even with the help from Kawashimo, it didn't look as though things were going well for Iron Town. Asano's army of mercenaries was too enormous.

He swayed in the saddle, hand clutching the shoulder that throbbed like a second heart, every beat pumping pure agony through his veins. He was surprised to find his face suddenly level with the ground. Yakkuru's broad muzzle nudged him in the side. Panting, Ashitaka glanced at his hand. The few vestiges of pink human flesh were disappearing, yielding to the purplish-black curse mark. Ashitaka focused on his breathing, trying to control his thoughts. It was hard to convince himself that San was alright, that she wasn't torn and broken out on the field, her clear blue eyes misty and unblinking. So hard.

It was many minutes before he was able to get up. The pain never faded, but it withdrew, like the tide of an ever-present ocean that threatened to sweep him away at any moment.

There was still hope. San was strong. She was still alive. Even if it was just the slightest of chances, he would cling to that hope. She needed his help.

Slowly, Ashitaka got to his feet. He realized he was trembling. No. He was so close. He would find her. She was alright. Find her. He let that thought guide his feet as he half-stumbled down onto the level field. He paid no mind to the slain men and beasts surrounding him. Yakkuru plodded along behind him, huffing with agitation. Before he was halfway to the lake's edge, he caught sight of movement across the blood-stained field. A pair of mounted warriors was riding hard in his direction. The only standing, living things within half a mile, Ashitaka supposed he and the elk stood out. It was not difficult to determine to whose allegiance the riders rode. Even from afar off, the red and white armor that covered both them and their horses was glaringly visible. Ashitaka's eyes could see them readying bows.

No.

The men shouted something barely intelligible to each other and picked up their pace. They were just over a quarter mile away from them.

He had to find San.

The two warriors nocked arrows, still out of range but quickly closing the gap.

Where was San? He turned his head and began searching among the grass and rocks for some sign of her.

The sound of the horses' hoof beats became clearer, closer.

He had to find her. He gripped the crystal dagger hanging from his neck so tightly he could feel warm, wet blood oozing between his fingers.

The warriors drew their bowstrings back, just a hundred paces away.

He lived for San. Life without her…..it didn't exist.

Waves of tormenting pain washed over him without warning. He felt like he was on fire from head to toe. His knees buckled, and he stumbled, screaming, gripping his wounded shoulder. That was molten iron. The pain blinded him. It ripped his breath away, and yet, the sound of his own pain-wracked cries deafened him. He was no longer aware of the coming warriors. He was not even aware of the earth under his hands and knees. All there was…..agony. Burning him alive. Tearing his soul apart.

No. There was something else, too. Cool, like water from a spring. It caressed him, soft and weak, but he could feel it. He tried to snatch it, to locate it, but it danced just out of reach.

He knew now how Nago felt, becoming a demon. Surely it could be no worse than this. The demon mark throbbed, searing his skin. Did he even have skin anymore? He felt like he had become flame.

The cool ribbon fluttered past him again. He tried to open his eyes to see it, but there was nothing. Through his blurred vision, he vaguely saw shapes coming towards him. Not the cool comfort he desperately sought. His insides roiled turbulently as the fire consumed him.

San. Where was San? Where was she?

He couldn't die. Not yet. Not until he found her. Held her to make sure she was real and safe.

The cool touch caressed his fiery cheek. He looked up. San's face—so hard, and yet so unspeakably soft—was gazing at him. Her eyes were full of love. For him.

"Ashitaka." Her voice echoed in his mind.

He collapsed, face down to the earth as the excruciating pain suddenly vanished. Vanished as if it had never been. Dazed, Ashitaka blinked. Sight and sound were both becoming clearer. He could feel the solid ground beneath him.

San's voice was ghostly in his memory.

Looking up, he saw the mounted warriors approaching. The pain, everything, seemed to have been only an instant. He saw the muscles wielding the bows straining, saw the sweat on their brow, the creases in their violence-filled features. He rose to his knees. He thought he should be utterly wasted, without a scrap of strength left in his body after enduring that wave. But on the contrary, he felt…..whole. There was something else as well. A presence…..a strength he had never before recognized.

He turned his attention to the warriors aiming their bows at him.

No. He would not die. Not until he found her.

"Stay back!!!" he bellowed at them. His voice was surprisingly loud. The galloping horses stopped short and reared up suddenly, squealing and kicking. The mounted warriors, too late to hold on, tumbled out of their saddles. Ashitaka remained where he was. He felt unconcerned. The soldiers were nothing to him. Only San mattered now. He turned his gaze to the field, to the pockets of beasts and men still fighting one another. The battle was hottest just outside the gates, where Kawashimo's men made their stand outside smoking timbers. He couldn't see San anywhere. Was she inside the town?

The two warriors were recovering themselves. With a mixture of anger and just a little disbelief, maybe even fear, they drew their swords, completely ignoring their fleeing, bucking horses. They glanced at each other uncertainly, approaching with caution. Ashitaka felt something ripple inside his arm, like his flesh was a writhing, suffocating fish. This whole skin tingled as he reached out with his senses, trying to locate San with his demon-given powers. Would they work if she was dead? No! Ashitaka shook his head fiercely. He refused to let himself think, even for a moment, that that might be so.

The two soldiers froze, staring at him as if he was mad. Ashitaka grasped his arm tightly. All he had left now was the burning desire to see San, to hold her, to whisper words of love into her ear. No warriors, no war was going to keep him from her. Before he realized it, he had taken off running, so quick he practically trampled the two warriors holding him at bay. Grass and rocks and bloody carcasses blurred beneath his feet. He was dimly aware of Yakkuru galloping behind him, falling behind in his wake. He came to a stop abruptly next to a large white mass. Too soft to be stone, yet hard as rock beneath the thick, shaggy fur, Ashitaka recognized the beast. In all his life, he'd only known of three wolves this size, gods of the ancient forest and San's adoptive family. The wolf's mouth was open, exposing its glistening teeth. Flies already buzzed around its staring amber eyes. Its body was covered every inch with wounds long crusted over. Its tail was missing, only a stump in its place. Ashitaka's breath left him for a second as his worst dread was confirmed. He'd already known it, felt it, but seeing the wolf god lying still on the field shredded his last hopes that San had stayed away, safe from the slaughter. His throat tightened, and he ripped his eyes away from the god's prone form. They settled on the town. The cacophony of guns and shouting were much clearer to his ears now. How many of his loved ones were left alive? San. Kaya. Toki. All of his friends and family were in Iron Town. Were they dead like the wolf? Was he too late?

"No," his voice grated harshly through his clenched teeth. He stepped away from San's dead brother. This had to stop. His thoughts warred with each other. He was too late. No, she was still alive. He was only one man against many. But couldn't he do something? He let his mind search, seeking out her presence, and he felt like he was staring into a blank void.

His arm shook so badly he could barely control it. His whole frame trembled.

"No!" he cried. "San!" She couldn't be dead! But he still couldn't feel her. No! He wouldn't let her die!

His fist connected with the ear with an earsplitting noise. It echoed like thunder over the field. His stomach lurched slightly as the ground beneath him sank and rose. From the spot where he knelt, the corpse-covered land rippled like a shaken sheet, even while the spot beneath his own feet continued to heave. The wave spread toward the lake, pushing through the water; it rose higher and higher to crash violently against the pylons Iron Town was built on. The water broke like glass, reaching dozens of feet high. Even the sturdy walls of Iron Town shook, swaying like a drunken man. In the wake of the echoes, the whole world seemed to fall silent. Ashitaka, dumbstruck, sat there on the ground, barely holding himself up. What was this power? It had gotten phenomenally stronger since leaving the capitol. Would he be able to control it?

He was shocked to find there was no pain. No searing agony burning him away. He felt disoriented, and worried, but nothing else. He tried again to reach out to San with his mind, to locate her. With this power, surely he could find her. He could save her.

Picking himself up, he began making his way towards Iron Town—slowly at first, as the thunderous noise of the very ground being rent reverberated throughout the valley. His legs moved faster and faster, until he was certain he could outrun the wind.

Directly ahead of him was a knot of some thirty or so mercenaries tending to their own wounded. They appeared shaken and startled by the earthquake. One caught notice of him approaching and drew sword, calling out to the man nearest him, who did likewise. Ashitaka blew through their makeshift camp like an arrow from a crossbow, leaving them without a second glance.

"San." Now in the town square, surrounded by red and white-clad mercenaries, Ashitaka stopped and looked around, hoping to sense the best direction to locate San. He scarcely noticed the great cracks in the ground or the expressions of stunned people trying to find their footing. He was attracting stares, he noticed. But did it matter?

More than one thoughtless mercenary raised a bow or spear and gaped at him distrustfully. Right. Iron Town was now the camp of the enemy. He had no wish to fight any of them, but would these people listen to him? Would they stop this idiotic war? He thought about the Emperor's letter tucked inside his shirt. Before he could even decide whether or not to pull the mandate out, ht heard the twanging of a released bowstring, and saw a quick blur out of the corner of his eye. He flicked his wrist and caught a long, black-feathered shaft between his fingers. The hairs on the back of his neck quivered, and he wheeled around suddenly as two more bowmen released their volleys at him. He snatched them out of the air. Perhaps they wouldn't be willing to listen, Ashitaka thought regretfully, looking into their awestruck faces.

"I don't have time for this!" he called out loudly. "Stop this fighting at once!" As he clenched the fist holding the three arrows, he snapped them effortlessly and let the pieces drop to his feet. All the mercenaries' eyes on him, he ran off once more into the town. The men behind him were utterly silent, shocked first by the quake, and then by the demon in their midst. He paid them little heed, thoughts and energy both returning to his love as he began to scour the town.

Author's Notes: I hate to split chapters up, but this one runs pretty long, and I know a lot of people have been impatient for an update. Part of that blame goes to my computer, or rather the virus that infected my computer and destroyed every file I had on it. All I've got is my jump drive now, and my computer's still being worked on. (GAAAHHHHH!!!! frustration) So, anyway, please continue to put up with me, and I'll have the rest of the final chapter up ASAP.


	30. Mononokehime Continuation Ch 28 Pt 2

Mononoke-hime Continuation

By Mikazuki Yuriko

Kaya stretched out of her fetal position hesitantly when the shaking finally subsided. Of all times for an earthquake, this had to be one! Fortunately, the roof of the house she was stuck in hadn't caved in and crushed her, though the room was an even bigger mess than before. During the quake, Kaya heard a sound of glass breaking. In the dimness, she gazed around and exhaled with glee when she saw a large shard from a broken mirror lit up with a pale, reflected light. With some difficulty, she squirmed towards it and grinned when she finally laid hand on it. Already forgetting the earthquake, she began sawing at her bonds with renewed vigor.

It took several minutes to get both her hands and feet free, but the job was considerably faster than it might have been with her teeth. Her jaw was stiff from her previous efforts. Now with her limbs free, she could move around a bit more easily. Maybe not much more easily, with one leg completely useless and her hip still throbbing from her adventures underground. She felt unspeakably tired from the exertion of battle during an already sleepless night. But she had to keep going. Until she passed out cold from exhaustion, she had to keep going.

It was extremely difficult pulling herself up onto her good leg using the doorframe she crawled to for support. Sweat oozed from the pores on her face, and she panted from the agony in her injured side. But she made it and stood erect at last. Her victory was quickly dampened by the realization that just getting out of this house, let alone finding Kenshin, would be a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," she reminded herself then scowled. "Or a hop." Keeping a hand on the wall for some balance, Kaya hopped and hobbled awkwardly away from the bedroom, gritting her teeth against the pain and bumbling around in the dark in search for the stairs she knew had to be at the end of the hall. When she encountered them with her toes, she hesitantly sat down and used her arms and leg to scoot down one stair at a time, much like a baby learning to handle steps. All other feeling aside, she felt utterly ridiculous. If she lived through this battle, she'd have to find an easier way of moving about.

It seemed like hours before she reached the last step and went through the trial of standing up again. It was a little less cumbersome than before. Kaya pushed forward and felt for the door. Sliding it aside, her eyes were temporarily dazzled by the pre-dawn light. The air was refreshingly cool. Outside the street appeared deserted, though it was cluttered with broken furniture, scattered sheaves of parchment, and clothes lying all about. Kaya was relieved that there were no dead bodies. Or better yet, living enemies prowling around.

The battle had quieted somewhat after the earthquake. Had either side called a truce or a retreat? Or was it over with that quickly? With a sinking feeling like iron in her stomach, she thought she knew who the victor of such a short, ruthless battle would be.

Looking around for something—anything—that could be of any use to her, Kaya spotted a pair of buckets beneath the broken window of a house across the street. Threaded through their handles was a stout wooden pole. Kaya's spirits rose, and she hopped and stumbled towards it, nearly falling down once halfway. She seized the pole eagerly and freed it. It was as thick around as her wrist and made of good solid oak. Uselful as a weapon as well as a walking stick. Though, if Kaya did run into trouble, she doubted she would last long in her state and without any Kenshin to protect her. That was a depressing idea.

Turning her eyes heavenward to the vast gray sky, she uttered a prayer and began slowly, painstakingly making her way back to the battlefield.

Ashitaka rushed down the streets of Iron Town, a raging demon on a rampage, all of his senses acutely focused on finding San. She had to be in the city. Where else could she be? He hardly noticed the ruined shops and houses—a few of them being consumed with flames—as he ran by them. He stopped here and there to regain his bearings, but in his frantic state of mind, he may as well be running in circles. A keening yelp caught his attention, and he hastily changed his direction and turned into an intersecting street. Three blocks away, he saw a thick knot of armed soldiers pouring out of an alleyway. They were attacking something—a huge white wolf broke away from them and then wheeled around to snap at spearheads and swords jabbing it. The yelping wolf's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Cheering, the men continued to torment it.

Fury flared up in Ashitaka's chest, but his body was not engulfed with the surge of agony he had previously come to expect. His feet moved, and in a few heartbeats' time he was charging into the crowd, bowling them over and throwing them great distances. Confusion took over the regiment of soldiers, and they looked around, not quite sure where the assault was coming from. Ashitaka grabbed the iron-hafted spear of one man, flipping him over, and wielded the weapon deftly, cracking bones and leaving large dents in solid samurai armor.

"Fall back!" he heard a strong voice boom out over the wild noise. Ashitaka held his position, striking out at the soldiers ignoring or too slow to heed that command. He stood over the wolf's head and glared at the astonished, retreating soldiers. Then he heard a deep rumble and looked down into a fierce amber eye. The wolf god blinked slowly, chest heaving with ragged, uneven breaths. Its coat was more red than white and covered with embedded arrows, but San's brother was still miraculously alive, if not for long.

"Ashitaka," he implored in him a voice as deep as a cavern. "Find San. I fear she's in danger." His eyes closed and his breathing became more labored. It took a lot to kill a god of the ancient forest, but even they could die. Ashitaka's throat constricted, and his eyes brimmed with hot tears as he stood by, helpless to keep the last of the Wolf Tribe from slipping away into the afterworld.

"Don't worry," he assured the god as its lungs gave its last rasping breath and finally fell silent. "I will." He turned to the soldiers keeping their distance a good dozen paces away.

"What kind of devil are you?" one of them, a wide-eyed man in impressive armor and mounted on a white and gray horse demanded in a voiceless breath. His men made no move to attack Ashitaka, though a good few looked like they very much wanted to try, so he answered,

"My name is Ashitaka. I am a man of Iron Town, and I've come back from the Emperor with a mandate demanding your immediate departure. You, and all of your men." He pulled out the Emperor's letter and brandished it so they could all see the large wax seal boldly impressed on the parchment like a stain of blood. His voice broke when he continued, "In the name of the Emperor, you will withdraw from Iron Town without further aggression." He folded the paper and replaced it inside his coat. "If you fail to abide by this command….." His voice cracked again as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks, "I'll destroy you all myself."

The leader of the group eyed him silently for several long moments.

"Looking at you, I believe that you can," he said. "Let me see that paper." Ashitaka, not letting his guard down for a second, complied and brought it over to him. The high-ranking soldier took it and studied the contents. When he was finished reading, he fixed Ashitaka with a long, piercing stare. "I've seen the seal of the Emperor before," he said. "Only a fool would wield it lightly. Or untruthfully."

Just then, a piercing whistle sounded over the morning air not far off, and though the high-ranking soldier blanched at the sound, Ashitaka did not waver a hair. Could he fulfill his threat if the soldiers didn't back down? Surely he was capable of it, but would he be able to ever live with himself if he obliterated any more life than he already had?

'Oh, San!' he cried out silently. 'Wait for me! I'll find you. I swear I will!'

"So, our castle has fallen," the leader of the band mumbled lips unmoving. Ashitaka's unnaturally keen hearing picked up the words clearly. The high-ranking soldier dismounted, sword in hand, and approached Ashitaka. Ashitaka stiffened and grasped the spear tightly, preparing to defend himself.

"My name is Yamajima Hojo, sub-captain of the Air Rank." He dropped his sword at Ashitaka's feet. "I've had enough of fighting gods and demons," he said. "Whatever spirit you may be, be at peace. With the blessing of the Emperor, my men and I will withdraw in peace."

"And the rest of your army?" Ashitaka questioned.

The sub-captain turned to look back at a group of horse-mounted archers.

"Give the signal to fall back," he ordered them. The archers stared at him with mixed expressions of incredulity and defeat. "Do it," he insisted.

For a long moment as the soldiers hesitated, Ashitaka didn't think to breathe, but then one of them reached into the quiver at his side and selected a short, red arrow with black fletching. Putting it to his bow, he aimed at the sky and let the shaft fly. It sped upwards with a piercing shriek similar to the one heard earlier. Ashitaka shifted his feet, waiting. Now what would happen?

A few moments passed, quiet except for the whinny of a horse and occasional clinking of armor rustling, and then a faraway whistle answered, in a lower hum. Another answered with higher pitch.

"All of the ranks have agreed to a truce. Allow me to take this mandate to show them. With General Azuma dead and likely Lord Asano as well, I'm sure it will be easy to convince the rank captains that we have no more reason to continue this battle."

Ashitaka eyed the hard-earned emperor's letter in the sub-captain's hand. Could he trust this man Hojo? His expression seemed genuine enough. But Ashitaka wanted assurance.

"I want your word of honor that you will do so," he stated deliberately.

"On my name, my honor, and my hope to enter the Western Paradise, you have it," the sub-captain answered immediately.

Ashitaka breathed in deeply and sighed. "You have my thanks, sub-captain."

The sub-captain's mouth was a hard line as he nodded once, and then he opened it to speak.

"I trust that you will call off your own people as well—outside, as well as within the town. They are rather…..persistent."

Ashitaka nodded. He was reluctant to linger a moment longer, delaying his search for San, but he had to show his own good faith if this fragile peace was to last. He was uncertain as to how to get word out for Iron Town to stand down. Perhaps if he found Eboshi, she would command her troops to pull back. He focused his thoughts again on San, reached out with his mind for her essence. He stretched his senses as far as they would go, and…..

He caught it. A faint presence, like a whisper from afar. He nearly cried with relief. She was alive. And close. He could tell, now that he was concentrating. But she was weak. Very weak. His sense of her faded in and out, like the last rays of sunset smothered behind clouds. He had to find her soon before that presence altogether vanished.

Yamajima and his soldiers were regarding him quizzically. Ashitaka raised his eyes and stared at the sub-captain.

"Your word," he reminded him, driving the spear into the ground. He underestimated his strength—the shaft plunged in more than a third its length—and he fled the scene.

Leaning heavily on her newfound staff, Kaya dragged herself along the quiet streets of Iron Town, heading for Eboshi's massive manor house in the eastern district where all the noise now seemed to be coming from. The only people she came across were the dead—some freshly killed and injured in just about every manner imaginable. It turned her stomach to see both mercenary and neighbor sprawled in bloody heaps in the streets. She avoided the ways where the casualties littered the ground too thickly to navigate through. By the time she made it half a dozen blocks, tears were running unchecked down her dirty cheeks. But every face that she peered at that wasn't Kenshin renewed the spluttering flame of hope inside her heart. Inside her head a ceaseless prayer for his safety—his and San's and Ashitaka's—was quietly chanted.

One man in Iron Town garb that she saw lying on the side of the street with dried bullet wounds riddling his chest had a dagger the length of her forearm still clutched in his blood-soaked fist. Kaya paused long enough to pry it loose and untie the dead man's belt to secure it to her own waist. A blade at her side may not help her any more than her sturdy walking stick, but it made Kaya feel just a little bit better.

The occasional sounds of guns firing and constant shouting of men fighting had become just a hum in the back of her head, hardly noticeable. But when piercing shrieks ripped the morning air, she was taken off guard. Whistles sometimes sounded a retreat, but they were not any signal that the resistance used. Could it possibly be? Was Asano's army falling back? Bright hope flaring inside her, Kaya stumbled and hobbled even faster, eyes scanning the streets less warily as she pressed on towards the manor house.

Ashitaka felt as though his feet were hardly touching the ground as he raced through alleys and streets, occasionally knocking over makeshift barriers of carts and barrels that blocked his path, honing in on the weak little whisper that to his senses was San. His surroundings were vaguely familiar, but the houses and shops seemed to come from a past life, or a dream. A few were smoldering—black, charred peaks and roofs that had been torched during the battle. The air reeked with death—with smoke and sulfur and the stench of blood. His eyes, too, were assailed with the aftermath of the fighting. Faces, some recognizable, some too blurred or mutilated to make out, stared at him unblinkingly. The hairs on the back of Ashitaka's neck rose as the feeling that the dead were watching him followed in his wake. So much killing and destruction. Had he come too late?

As he dashed across the intersection of a narrow street, his eye caught sight of a figure standing nearly a quarter mile down its length. He skidded to a stop, kicking up dust, and backtracked into the open to get a better look.

"I don't believe it," he breathed, and bolted down the street to meet her. "Kaya!" he called out loudly. "Kaya! It's me!"

The frail-looking figure, becoming larger and more identifiable as he approached, staggered as her knees gave way. Ashitaka was before her in an instant, supporting her. She looked a mess, covered in dirt and blood, her clothes stained and torn. She was obviously badly injured, too. Her wide, pain-filled eyes latched on to him, filling with tears, and she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt.

"Ashitaka!" she blubbered. "What took you so long?"

Ashitaka chuckled humorlessly. "Sorry I'm late. I came as fast as I could."

She held on to him tightly with surprising strength, given her condition. He held her firmly, too, though he had to be extremely careful. As powerful as his demon-given abilities had now become, he didn't want to risk accidentally killing her. She cried against him for a few moments, babbling to him about how badly she missed him and what a mess things in Iron Town had become. That he could witness firsthand.

He didn't want to cut short their reunion, but there was still San to find.

"Kaya, have you seen San?" he inquired, gently prying her arms off his shoulders. She raised her head to actually look into his face and gasped.

"Ashitaka, your—"

"I know. But I can't think about that right now. I have to find San. Is she close by?"

Kaya's expression fell. "I don't know," she replied. "We were separated in the tunnels underground. She could be anywhere. But I could venture one good guess." She stared off towards the east.

Ashitaka frowned. The battlefront, of course. As brave and determined as she was, where else could she be?

"I have to go, Kaya. I have to find her. That's the most important thing right now."

Kaya nodded. "I understand. I have to find someone, too. Someone very dear to me."

Ashitaka looked her over. She was hardly in any shape to stand, let alone rove about Iron Town—still dangerous in these newborn minutes of a truce—on her own.

"Climb on my back," he instructed, turning around and squatting. Without argument she dropped her staff and draped herself across his shoulders. She didn't feel any heavier than a feather. "Hold on as tight as you can," he warned her and took off as fast as an arrow.

The bottom of the steep hill atop which Eboshi's house was built and the surrounding streets and markets were packed with bodies. Many of them wore drab Iron Town garb and makeshift armor, but the majority wore Asano's colors and heavy leather and steel. It appeared at first that the mercenaries and soldiers were gathering together, filing out of the streets slowly, while the Iron Town resistance looked on warily. Then a soldier broke free of the rank and charged at the Iron Town men standing nearby.

"For Lord Asano and the Rising Sun!" he bellowed, waving a sword. A couple of his comrades, all with equally vindictive visages, followed after him without hesitation, ignoring the shouts of their commander to stand down. A gun fired and arrows flew as the men about to be attacked raised their weapons of knives and clubs.

"Hold it!" Ashitaka heard a familiar woman's voice shout. The breakaway soldiers stumbled and fell, one dead on the spot from a bullet wound punched right between his shoulder blades, the other two from hits to the backs of their knees or hips.

"I said stand down!" a deep voice roared from the soldiers' ranks. Ashitaka didn't recognize the high-ranking man on horseback down the line who spoke up, but he saw him lower his gun. The arrows must have been loosed from the bows of the men flanking him. "Anyone who steps out of line will wind up the same!"

Toki came running over, hair askew and looking worse for wear, to join her men. She glanced at the dead soldiers lying just feet away from her people and snarled, wheeling on the rank's captain.

"Just what does a truce mean to you, you mangy, flea-bitten son of a—"

"Toki, look!" a man next to her interrupted, pointing, having finally caught sight of him. A few others followed the direction of his finger, and eyes widened, and a few jaws dropped at the sight of him. Toki's was one, and she gasped,

"Ashitaka? Is that you?"

"Yes, Toki," he replied. Before he could repeat his question to her, he heard a woman scream and gasps ripple through the crowd. All eyes turned towards the front of the square, where a large man with a long sword at his hip was carefully descending the rough, corpse-strewn stairs set in the hillside, accompanied by an entourage of weeping men and women. Ashitaka recognized Gonza's bald head and fierce expression almost immediately. In his arms was a woman's body wrapped in a sheet. Ashitaka felt a twinge of shame as he sighed in relief—the long raven hair spilling over Gonza's arm couldn't be San, and his sixth sense of the weak, fluttering whisper still pointed in the direction of the manor house.

"Oh no!" Kaya's voice in his ear was a tremble. Ashitaka couldn't take his eyes off the macabre procession. More bodies were being brought down, bodies of townspeople, more of his friends and neighbors. The one exception was a stocky man's limp form being supported between one wiry and one strong-looking woman, both with faces concealed with cloths. A wailing dirge suddenly took up among the women and men in his company as Gonza and the head of the column came into better view, but Ashitaka's eyes darted over to the retreating mercenaries and their captains, wondering how they would react to the sight of their slain commander being so unceremoniously carried down. They looked wary, many with scowls and narrowed eyes, and Ashitaka feared yet again for the fragile peace.

Hoof beats clattering in the street behind him made him turn, and he saw the sub-captain approaching with other horse-mounted men of even higher rank, judging by their armor and the way they carried themselves. One of them rested a halberd decorated with a strip of fabric, a symbol of surrender and non-aggression, in his stirrup. Ashitaka tensed when he saw sub-captain Yamajima's eyes and those of the rest look ahead to where Asano's bearers were descending the last step. He looked back to the sub-captain, but it was one of his companions, the one bearing the standard, who, at a word from the sub-captain and a pointed stare at Ashitaka, nudged his horse forward.

"All ranks, stay your hands!" he shouted to the shifty crowd in a loud, clear voice, following with the repeated order of "Move out! Return to the camp!" Then, with hardly a glance for Kaya or any of the other townspeople gathered in the square, he addressed Ashitaka with hard, wary eyes.

"I'm told you are the…..leader…..of these people," he stated, not in question.

Ashitaka studied him just as warily and replied, "Only a citizen."

Mouth set in a downward curve, the man introduced himself as Captain Aoyoshi of the Earth rank, and with him were Captains Yoshinori of the Fire rank and Jun of the Water rank. He did not bother to mention Hojo, who seemed content to merely hang back at his superiors' heels. The three Captains did not seem to have any doubts about their position, though.

"Well then, who is your leader?" he demanded, clearly displeased with his situation and the task he had at hand. Ashitaka turned to look towards Eboshi and Gonza, but Toki volunteered herself, gaze leaving her fallen mistress as she whipped her head around to glare at the mounted soldiers.

"I'm in charge here," she said boldly, marching towards them. A handful of meagerly armed people, mostly women, trailed behind her as an escort. The captain's face dissolved into an even deeper grimace as he studied the group and its leader. No doubt he wasn't accustomed or favorable to dealing with assertive women. Ashitaka frankly didn't care if Toki browbeat him all day then tossed him out of the town like garbage. He had more important things to attend to. He ignored Captain Aoyoshi and turned to face Yamajima.

"The Emperor's letter," he said in just short of a demanding tone. "Give it to me." Yamajima's eyes skipped over to Aoyoshi, and the captain, apparently annoyed at the lack of respect Ashitaka showed him, grudgingly complied. He handed it to Ashitaka, who passed it along to Toki. "This should make things perfectly clear," he told her.

Toki looked confused, then unfolded the letter and started reading, eyes and smile growing wider with every passing moment. She then flashed the letter to all the captains. Aoyoshi's brow wrinkled with consternations, and he turned in his saddle to grumble to sub-captain Yamajima,

"Likely we'll all become wandering unemployables after this whole affair, but be assured that your head is mine for getting us into this." Yamajima hardly seemed affected by the captain's words. He merely gave the man a one-sided smile. Then, returning his attention to Toki, Captain Aoyoshi continued, "On behalf of the…..late…..Lord Asano, I'm here to negotiate our…..surrender." His eyes did not meet Toki's, but were instead fixed on the body of Asano which was then being ungraciously dropped to the ground right in front of their horses' feet. Toki paid her friends no heed and instead focused her driving glare on the captain.

"All right, let's hear it," she said confidently.

Ashitaka drew back—his business here was done for now—and scanned the crowd for someone to take care of Kaya, but at a tap on his shoulder, he inclined his ear to her.

"Ashitaka! Look! Over there! I can see him!" There was little doubt as to whom she meant by "him." Ashitaka looked over the dozens of faces and spotted a tall, dark haired man pushing through the crowd recklessly as if in a hurry. Ashitaka recognized him and felt a wave of relief.

"Will you be alright?" he asked Kaya as he gently let her down and helped her to keep her feet.

"I will be now!" she replied, a wide smile spread out over her face.

Ashitaka scarcely waited for Kenshin to join them. As soon as the samurai laid hand on Kaya, he was off, dashing through the square and weaving through the throng towards the manor house.

"Ashitaka!" he heard a man shout as his foot hit the first wide step in the hillside. He paused to see Gonza kneeling near him on the ground at the base, reluctant to let go of his lady's still form even while he was being crowded by wailing, sobbing women who attempted to take Eboshi from him. Tears were still leaking down the seemingly invincible man's face; he looked haggard and worn. Ashitaka impatiently waited for him to speak, but the man couldn't get a word out and instead turned his face away in sorrow and shame, cradling Lady Eboshi's body to him. Ashitaka left him there and flew up the earthen stairs.

San called him to the massive house where townspeople still milled about, some managing groups of disarmed guards and mercenaries, some gathering up the lifeless forms of their friends in burial sackcloth. Many gave him astonished looks as he darted around, but he was quickly gone before any of their lips could form his name. He ascended stairs, raced down halls, and ran through rooms, often breaking the doors down thoughtlessly in the process. Sometimes it seemed as though she was just on the edge of his mind, but then she would slip away momentarily. Ashitaka's heart beat wildly in his chest. 'Please, San, please hold on. I'm coming,' he called out to her with his thoughts. The cool ribbon of her presence drew him higher and higher up, and when it seemed he could go no further, he spotted a ladder hanging down in the corner. Eagerly he went to it and, scaling it, burst out onto the roof. There he saw two women in robes with rifles slung over their shoulders, backs to him as they knelt down over something in the center. His sense of San was clearer than ever now, but wavering as if she was on the brink of an abyss and about to fall in. He lunged forward, leaping over the kneeling women and rounded on them.

His eyes confirmed what his heart already feared. His beloved lay there motionless, covered in drying blood. Her eyes were closed as if she were sleeping. Pale as she was, Ashitaka had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. The women had torn strips of material in their hands, and judging by the frayed hems of their garments, it seemed they had been trying to bandage San's wounds. They stared at him with startled eyes. He wasn't familiar with either one of them, but they seemed to recognize him.

"We're sorry, Ashitaka, but I don't think there's anything we can do. She's too far gone."

He dropped to his knees, arms reaching out for her. Her skin was cool; she felt so light and fragile. As he pulled her close, he saw the puddle of blood on the spot where she lay. Her wounds were far more severe than he could have imagined.

Grasping her tightly, he lowered his head to whisper into her ear.

"San. I'm here now. I'm with you." He stroked her short hair and caressed the contours of her face. His emotions warred with one another, frantic about her safety and yet at the same time utterly content just to have her back in his embrace. His purplish-black fingertips grazed her neck; her pulse was so weak it could hardly be felt. The two women there exchanged glances then stood up in unison. With slight bows they backed away and retreated from the roof, no doubt to give him privacy during what might be the last moments he had with San. Ashitaka watched them go sadly. They seemed so certain that San was lost, but he could not give into that dread.

He rocked San's body gently as though she were an infant, all the while whispering her name and re-memorizing the features of her face with his fingers.

"I love you," he told her soothingly as his lips traced lines of kisses over her white skin. She felt so cold. His hot tears splashing onto her skin did nothing to warm her. "Don't go." He reached for the crystal dagger tied around his neck—his gift to her so long ago. He had hoped that returning it would have been a joyful occasion, not his parting gift. He pressed the shard into her palm and closed her fingers over it.

Closing his eyes tightly, he concentrated on the soft cool ribbon that she was in the back of his mind. He imagined himself far away from the rooftop, away from Iron Town, in a place where all was mist and darkness and the sound of running water. Trees began to take form, and he imagined her running through them, fast and free like a deer, her wolves at her side. He heard her laughing, happy and carefree as she should be, but immediately the wind picked up, rustling through the pines and threatening to carry her away. Desperate, Ashitaka clung to the thought of her.

They were on the mountaintop together, basking in the balmy twilight and watching the stars appear in the ghostly sky. The forest stretched out forever beneath them, rippling with mountains and streams. The sounds of the unseen nightingale and cricket serenaded them. The moon was a slender sickle above them, chasing away the last vestiges of sunset.

San pulled away from his embrace.

"I have to go," she told him. "I can't stay here anymore." She drew away from him, melting into the deepening shadows. Ashitaka quickly reached out his hand for her, but she was already beyond his grasp, just a wisp of ribbon slipping away.

"I love you, Ashitaka. Forgive me."

"No, San! Wait!"

The sky and forest around him began to spin until all became blackness, but Ashitaka refused to lose sight of her. He trembled with fear and frustration. He could shake the earth, but he couldn't do anything to save the one person he loved more than life itself! No! It couldn't be! He wouldn't allow it! He would give up everything—he would become the king of demons!—if he could only keep her from disappearing. He drew a deep breath and screamed.

"SAAAAAAN!!!"

The void around him shattered, and he wrenched his eyes open.

San blinked weakly, looking up at him.

"A-Ashi—" Her lips barely moved, as though speaking was too much of an effort. Ashitaka grasped her hand tightly in his.

"I'm right here, San. I'm not letting go." He wouldn't. Not ever again.

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, almost into a smile, and then her head slumped back, eyes fluttering shut. Ashitaka's heart leap into his throat, choking him, but he relaxed instantly when he saw that she was breathing peacefully. She even seemed to be a bit warmer to his touch. He looked her over and was astonished to see that the wounds she'd sustained earlier, some of them serious, were healed under the drying blood, as if they'd never been. He pulled away bandages and probed them carefully; her skin was whole and unbroken. A memory was suddenly summoned to his mind from a time when he, too, was injured and dying, with San watching over him. A mysterious power had healed him, a gift from a great god. Ashitaka looked at his own mottled hands. Perhaps his own powers were not so demonic. He noticed her fingers tightly wrapped around the crystal dagger and pressed to her chest. Ashitaka let out the heavy breath he'd been holding and touched her other hand to his lips.

"Come, San," he spoke to her gently, holding her close. "It's time to go home."

Leaning heavily on her cane, Kaya uttered a small gasp and put a hand to her stomach to quiet the baby tumbling inside her. Toki paused in hauling on the well rope and looked at her with concern, but Kaya waved it aside. The other woman laughed and brought up the bucket, pouring the contents into the pails she intended to carry back to Kaya's house for her. Kaya was touched by the woman's generosity—that was one thing that certainly hadn't changed with her assuming Lady Eboshi's mantle as the leader of Iron Town. Kaya regretted making the former forge woman go through the effort, especially as she hauled the heavy pole supporting the pails onto her shoulders and began walking away, but Toki wouldn't hear of Kaya lifting a finger to do any heavy labor.

"That kid of yours is going to make a great forge worker, as strong as she is," she joked. Kaya shook her head and smiled wryly. Toki never lost her sense of humor, either. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for her, widowed and shouldering enormous-seeming responsibility, but Toki was still grinning and making jokes as always. Kaya was grateful for her friendship, especially during the long days when her husband was away, employed as a guard for the wagon trains exporting Iron Town's precious metals. She hoped Kenshin returned soon; the baby would come any day now.

Kaya's house, one of those heavily damaged during the war to free Iron Town from Lord Asano's army of soldiers and mercenaries, had been rebuilt not far from the town square. Kenshin had helped to construct it and many others over the past months. Iron Town was slowly returning to normal. Slowly, but as surely as spring always followed the long winter.

Before leaving the square, Kaya turned to look at the tall stone plinth that had been erected in the center of the square. An obelisk of dark gray granite, it was inscribed all around with the names of the many who gave their lives defending Iron Town against her invaders—a constant reminder of everything her people had lost, and kept. It was there that Lady Eboshi's body had burned on the funeral altar while every man, woman, and child in Iron Town attended the rites. All but one.

Not everything could return to the way it was.

Whenever she thought about him, Kaya's gaze stole away to the forest that lay just beyond Iron Town's gates. Though she hadn't seen her older brother since he descended, unspeaking, from Eboshi's house, an unconscious San in his arms, and departed through the main gate into the forest, he was still close in her thoughts. She often wondered what had become of him and San and their child. But more often she wondered if she would ever see him again, if he would ever again reenter the world of men.

He was a hero in Iron Town, but no one was quite sure what to make of him. People told strange stories, some heard from the defeated, retreating mercenaries, of a monstrous god who could shake the earth and call forth demons to fight for him. Some said that had gone into the forest and died to be with his Princess. Still others claimed he was really the Great Forest Spirit reborn and reigning with her over their kingdom. Kaya didn't know what to believe, but nothing altered the fact that to her, he would always be her brother.

The baby kicked again beneath her wide silk obi, and Kaya sighed, picking up her uneven, hobbling pace to catch up to Toki, passing by the shops and houses, some rebuilt, some still little but skeletal frames—bastions of progress that would never fail—all under the watchful and ever-present peaks of the towering forge.

END


End file.
